Delta woke up alone one morning to the sound of their alarm. They reached for their phone to shut it off, and fell out of bed as they read the date. Their birthday. They'd completely forgotten. They never really celebrated it, and hadn't had a party for it in actual years. Especially since they'd sold themselves - most people who set out to purchase humans didn't tend to celebrate their property's special occasions.

They... were reaching their mid-twenties, they thought. They didn't particularly remember a lot from their past, and the time was a blur. Kassandra might remember more, from some things she'd said, but she'd have told them if she remembered everything. They did remember distinctly the thought that they weren't going to live past 18. Well, they made it past that benchmark, but they didn't have an idea where they were going from there. At least their Mistress was having them learn to have some sense of purpose, even if that meant her forcing one onto them. Though, Delta honestly at this point was content to have "being Mistress' eternal sex toy" be a purpose for them.

Their Mistress was coming over that night, but they had the whole day to themself. They hadn't touched the materials they got from the craft store all that time ago, though their Mistress kept reminding them of it. She was probably going to order them to finally start at one point or another.

Delta continued musing, lost in their thoughts, until they got a phone call. Obviously, it was from their Mistress. Who else would call them? She was probably calling from work, or on her commute.

"Hello, Mistress," Delta smiled, fiddling with some paper while they talked to her.

"Delta," she responded tersely. If there was any improvement in how she greeted Delta over time as a person instead of an object, Delta did not notice it. Although she was probably doing that on purpose. "What are you planning to get done today?"

Delta considered the question. The Pokken local was today. They'd met a few other people there, and built up some budding friendships over the past few weeks - except for the days that they were occupied with 'other matters'. They still kept in contact with the two guys they initially met, Rye and Pierre. The scene was mostly filled with masculine-presenting people, though they did meet two girls and another enby in bracket.

They could go to that. They glanced over at the art supplies, which had accumulated a small amount of dust over time. They'd bought some more supplies - without an actual set budget, they were becoming quite the impulse shopper. However, those were going unused as well. Something kept stopping them, and they couldn't put words to what.

Delta was jolted out of their thoughts when their Mistress spoke again. "It'd do you well to answer me when I speak to you, plaything."

"R-right, I'm sorry, Mistress," they mumbled. Shaking their head to wake themself up, they continued more clearly. "I was just thinking... I think I'll go to the gaming cafe today. And before, uh, I'll try to... to finally start doing something artistic."

"Good thinking, for once," she responded. Of course, she would throw in a quick insult too. Delta couldn't lie... there was a certain appeal to being praised, and then immediately being shut down for their intelligence. One of those strange, but not unwelcome, things they'd discovered with their Mistress. "I expect you to give me a full report when I come over tonight. And show me what you create, today. Given that it's you, I don't expect it to be anything good, but I want to see you do what I say. And who knows? Your hands might outdo your tiny brain. Lord knows they do well enough at... other things," she chuckled, the smirk evident in her voice.

Excitement hit them at the thought of obeying her. After all, obedience was pleasure.

"What... what time will you be over?" they asked. The paper they'd been curling in their hands was a crumpled ball at this point, nerves and arousal having overtaken them.

"Expect me to be over by eight. Be there and prepared, or else."

Delta wondered if she was alone in her office or a limo, and if anyone could hear her talk to Delta the way she was. It gave them a strange thrill to imagine themself being shown off for her amusement.

"Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"Good. I look forward to seeing you tonight."

Without any further words, not waiting for Delta to respond, she hung up. Delta was left all alone again, with nothing but their thoughts. And of course, Delta thinking they were alone only reminded them they weren't.

"Doesn't surprise me she forgot," Kassandra sneered. She didn't seem angry, though. She was just pointing the fact out.

"I doubt she knows," Delta shrugged, responding out loud. They wanted to give their Mistress the benefit of the doubt. After all - they were just her property. Why in the world would she know something as trivial as their birthday?

"We should do something small to celebrate," Kassandra mused. "If she won't remember, that doesn't mean you don't have to acknowledge it. We have each other."

It was strange that Kassandra wasn't more frustrated. Now that they thought about it, she hadn't gotten extremely displeased or frustrated with their Mistress since they'd talked. Surely it couldn't be that Kassandra trusted her any more than she had before, but Delta didn't really understand what the reason could be. There was no way Kassandra had good faith in their Mistress - it had to be that she trusted Delta. To Delta, that was no small victory.

At least, it was a victory as long as neither Delta or their Mistress did anything to break that faith.

"So, we're going to the gaming... tournament... thing, whatever you call it, today?"

"I suppose," Delta shrugged. "We don't really have much else to do. I guess we could start that... sketching or, um..." they glanced at the ball of paper in their hand sheepishly. "What I picked up, before we go."

Kassandra sighed. Finally her frustration was starting to shine through. "You know, it's not really the best idea, her ordering you to do something like this. You can't force creativity."

"Well... I guess. But at least she's giving me some freedom over what I actually decide to do. Y'know?"

"Whatever," Kassandra sighed. And just as quickly as she came, she faded once again, leaving Delta to go on with their day. 

~~ 

Today's weather was not helping their mood. It had rained quite a lot the night before, and the air was humid and muggy, practically clinging to their skin. The sun hid behind thick, gray clouds, casting the entire city into shade. Delta honestly liked thunderstorms a lot, and was sad they'd missed the one last night. Though they weren't stupid enough to go for a run in one of those, they actually found running in the rain refreshing... but they weren't a fan of the weather that came afterwards.

They started their day, as per usual, with running along the nearby trail, though they didn't intend to run the entire stretch today. They stopped about midway through the path, at an open area with seating in front of a lakefront. It seemed a good place to start to learn how to paint, and they unpacked the supplies they'd finally brought with them. They set them out on the table before they realized they didn't know what in the world they were supposed to do with them.

Honestly, what were they supposed to do in general? Not to mention that looming worry about what Kassandra was thinking of their Mistress. It was so hard to read her sometimes, even though they shared a head. Clearly she allowed their Mistress to hypnotize them now, but why, and would that be the case forever? Would she come back with a vengeance? Delta didn't know if they should talk to her again, try to figure it out, or...

"Uh, hey... Do you need help with that?"

Delta perked up at the vaguely familiar voice. They turned around to see someone they recognized. It was the person in the punk outfit, with the blue-pink hair. The city was big, but yet they kept running into each other. They probably lived around here, if Delta had to guess.

Were they offering to help with the watercoloring? Delta assumed that had to be the case. Realizing they were pausing for what must be an uncomfortable amount of time, they struggled to form a reply.

"Oh, I, um, I've, I've never done this before, b-but it looked fun," Delta stammered, trying to think of the best excuse they could. They flushed, face burning red. That they were cute wasn't helping, but more than that, Delta wasn't used to sudden attention from a stranger. "F-forgive me for asking, but, um. I've seen you around here and there, so..."

"Uh, yeah," they interrupted, grinning. "We live practically next door to each other. I've seen you walk out of your apartment a couple times. You seemed cool, so I kept trying to approach you, but then I realized I looked like a stalker, and..."

They shrugged apologetically. That seemed reasonable enough to Delta. They'd been wondering if this person was outright following them, or if they were just shy.

"Yeah, I... I know I looked creepy, I just wanted to see what was going on."

"Oh, it's, um, it's fine!" Delta waved their hands in a placating gesture, turning to look at them. "I just, um... what do you mean, 'what was going on'?"

The person sighed through their teeth. "Well, I always see you with this woman..." Delta tensed up, already trying to think of a cover story. "... and you just, it just looks like there's something going on."

"It's nothing!" Delta quickly squeaked, then realized how panicked they sounded. "I mean, she's, um... she's really just a friend. Or, kind of."

"Girlfriend?" they grinned conspiratorially.

Delta was about to respond noncommittally, but they considered this for a bit. Would that be what they'd call her, in a normal world? What kind of disclaimer could they give that wouldn't alarm a stranger?

"Well, sort of," they grimaced nervously. "Kind of a... caretaker too. It's, um, it's complicated."

"Well, as long as you don't live with your mom in your, what, your twenties?" Delta wasn't appreciating being laughed at. Their Mistress was one thing, but this random stalker-neighbor-whatever they were?

"She's... she's not my mom."

"A'ight, a'ight. Well, I hope you tell me more later," they grinned again, holding out their hand for a handshake. "My name's Jenn. What's yours?"

"It's, um, it's Delta," they mumbled, nervously returning the handshake. They were still unsure about making friends with this person, considering the fact they were essentially stalking them.

"So, you wanted to learn how to do watercolors?" Jenn looked down at the materials, which Delta still had arrayed in front of them. And to be fair, they still had no idea where to start. It couldn't hurt to rely on a stranger's kindness for something like this.

"Uh, yeah. I just wanted to start painting, or, uh... doing anything creative like that." They shrugged. "I got some books on how to, but I haven't been looking at them... or at least, I haven't yet."

"Pssh," Jenn waved their hand at Delta dismissively. "Those books don't know what they're on about. Put those watercolors away for now. I can teach you how to sketch first. You got pencils in that bag of yours?"

Delta put the watercolors and canvas away, leaving out their sketchbook and taking out a couple of pencils. There was a strange heat to doing what they were told. Even if Jenn was just a friend... or whatever they were... and even if they weren't ordering Delta to do anything sexual, obedience still was pleasure. They winced, trying to hide their reaction. At least Jenn hadn't seemed to notice.

"I went to art college," Jenn explained, picking up the pencil and twirling it between their fingers. "Let me show you some of what I've learned."

They spent the next few hours or so going over the basics of sketching - from perspective, to contour drawing, to shading, to line thickness. Delta was having some trouble wrapping their head around it, but Jenn was actually proving a reasonable teacher.

Although... Delta couldn't shake the fact that Jenn had been basically stalking them up until now. They dismissed the anxious paranoia, forcing themself to remember that they were too passive to do anything about their stalker anyway. They'd tell Mistress, and she'd handle it. At least they were being nice.

~~ 

Jenn helped Delta with the basics of drawing up until midafternoon. They had to dart away to their workplace, having lost track of time, they said, with how much fun it was to teach someone new. They agreed to meet up again, and Delta hoped that it would be okay with their Mistress. Still though, something felt off to them. It was weird that they had a stalker, especially one who seemed to want to get to know what was going on in Delta's life more.

Their Mistress would protect them if they needed it, right? If Jenn kept stalking them to the point of making them feel unsafe? They hoped so.

Delta was off again. The next stop was the Pokken group. Finally having music that more suited their tastes - although they'd had to explain to their Mistress that, yes, this is what they liked, yes, they knew it was trashy, yes, they knew they were an idiot for liking it, and just in general - they put their headphones in and ran. It had cooled down, and the breeze felt good on their skin as they ran.They always enjoyed dashing past the city, seeing the various people who lived there. They felt okay. Or at least, they didn't feel bad.

~~

They made it to the gaming cafe without too much difficulty. By the time they got there, though, they could feel a few raindrops hitting them. They might enjoy running in the rain, but it would probably be dark, and they had no desire to slip and fall. Rushing inside before their art supplies got soaked, they confirmed and paid at the counter before going over to the area where a couple of screens were set up. Rye was there, along with a few other people who Delta had seen in passing. All different skill levels and characters were represented, and they knew their way around most of those matchups by now. 

Being pretty much a regular at this point, they were instantly recognized. Rye noticed them walk in, giving them a friendly wave and grin, followed by a couple of the others doing the same.

"Hey, Delta!" he called out, waving them over. Delta smiled and greeted everyone as they put their stuff down. Rye waited until they were settled before continuing. "How's it been?"

"Decent," they nodded. "Just went on a nice run. Started learning how to draw. I'm not good at it. But hey, that's what learning's for."

"Drawing and running? That's more than most of us can say," another guy in the group, Khrys - who would always follow his name up with an apology for its spelling - shrugged. "Where do you usually run, anyways?"

"Just around the city. There's a nice running path near where I live." They opted not to say more about that, not wanting people to pry deeper. They weren't entirely ready for that, even if with Jenn that was apparently a lost cause.

"Well, before we kick each other's asses, I figured we should give Delta the spotlight for a bit," Pierre said, piquing Delta's interest. He turned to his bag, and pulled out a gray box with a ribbon on it. It wasn't too big, but it was bulky, taking up most of the volume in his backpack. Delta looked at it quizzically as he also unloaded plates and forks.

"Well, it's your birthday, isn't it?" Rye asked. "I mean, you gave it to us when you signed up. Unless you lied. You didn't lie, right? Because then we'll just look silly for getting the cake."

Delta took a moment to reorient themself. They weren't expecting these acquaintances-not-really-friends to actually remember such a date, or to pay attention to small details like that.

"Um... I suppose it is. You... remembered?"

"Well, of course," Rye grinned. "You're a regular. You're like a bro, aside from the gender thing. A sib? That sounds right. Anyways, happy birthday."

Pierre opened the box, revealing a small pink cake with blue frosting roses on the sides. On its top, in an isosceles triangle of frosting - a delta, if they had to guess - an actually halfway decent frosting depiction of their favorite Pokémon, Darkrai, above its number, 491. It didn't look professionally done at all, but that somehow felt even better than it would have if it was perfect. 

Delta was still unsure what to say, though they were glad they'd taken a run if they were going to be eating cake today. They could almost forget that their Mistress, the most important person in their life at the moment, forgot, because at least someone remembered. Hell, an entire group of people remembered. It was enough to make them feel like they actually belonged somewhere.

Delta couldn't help but tear up a bit. "Thank you," they choked out, honestly touched by the gesture.

Rye chuckled, gesturing at the number at the bottom of the triangle. "We didn't know how old you were, so we took a guess. How'd we do?"

Pierre punched him on the shoulder, although he was grinning too. "They know what the number means, dumbass."

"Don't start crying," Kelly, one of the only girls they'd met there, said. "We don't want the TOs to know we snuck in food."

It was a challenge, but they managed to choke back the tears as they began to dig into some cake with... well, who they supposed they could consider their friends.

"Hey, everyone."

That was a new voice, although it made their shoulders tense. Unsure why they were feeling nervous, they turned around to see who it was. They didn't think they'd ever met this person before - he was tall, probably around Delta's age, with shaggy brown hair and a quite frankly hideous mustache. He was wearing a generic anime T-shirt and cargo shorts. He didn't seem like there was anything off about him, but yet, Delta still felt uncomfortable. They brushed it off as just their social anxiety as everyone else began talking to him warmly.

It was weird. Why did they have some sort of pit in their stomach looking at this guy? Should they know him?

Kassandra appeared, eyes wild, crouched next to them. Delta could feel sheer panic from her... but at what? This random guy?

"Delta, we need to go. Now." Delta tried to hide their look of shock, knowing Kassandra would feel it anyway. They couldn't just up and leave. If they did, that'd be too suspicious, and it'd be rude to the people who were so nice to them. And they still didn't know why. "Well, whether you know or not, we need to stay as far away from him as is physically possible. And that's not just a request, Delta."

"Excuse me, everyone. I have to go to the bathroom," Delta gulped, rushing over without waiting to see how people replied.

"Kassandra, what's going on?" they asked softly, thankful that they had some privacy in the one-stall bathroom.

"I have a bad feeling about... that person," Kassandra explained. Then she frowned. "Don't... don't you remember him?"

"Remember him?" Delta repeated slowly. But they didn't know him, right? Maybe he was someone from their past, the part they couldn't remember, but if that was true, why wouldn't Kassandra have just told them about him? "If he knew us from... back then, I doubt he'll remember us. I look a lot different... and I think I act different too."

"Delta, please be careful. Just try to keep your distance. Let's just stay long enough to be polite, and head out when it's safe to."

Kassandra wasn't the type to get scared. At least, when she was scared, she showed it through anger, attacking the thing that she feared. And that gave Delta a horrible feeling. If Kassandra wanted them to run, without confrontation, there must be something wrong. They had to know that man. But no amount of straining against their memory brought anything up. It was as if that part of their life had been locked in chains, and they'd thrown away the key.

"A... alright, Kassandra. I'll be careful, and keep my distance."

Kassandra took a sigh of relief. "Please."

Delta was unsure what to say as they left the bathroom to return to their seat. They risked another glance at the newcomer, and tried again to wrack their brain to see if they could remember it. But they couldn't. They certainly felt something off when they looked at him, but that was it.

"Did I scare ya off?" he asked jokingly, walking up to Delta.

A deer in headlights, they turned around to meet eyes with him. Looking at him up close, Delta felt that pit in their stomach return. They tried to shrug it off, because what could they do? They couldn't run if he was right there. They just had to end this quickly.

"Oh, no, I just, um, I just ate something bad," Delta stammered, trying to recompose themself.

"Well, I'm glad. Because I seem to have that effect on people," he snorted. "Name's Asher. Nice to meet you."

He held out his hand to shake, and Delta took it. Something about him giving his name and feeling his hand brought back the anxiety in full. They tried to shrug it off again, but it wouldn't budge. There had to be a reason they felt this way, and unless they knew that, the anxiety would continue to burn through them. This was different from when they just felt nervous around someone. This was darker.

"I'm Delta," they said before they realized they'd started talking. "Um, I just started playing recently. I'm... I'm not really that good."

"So we got a newbie here," he declared. "Care to show me what you've got?"

Delta hesitated. They already had a bad feeling about him, and they had a grim certainty he would beat them at anything they tried. But they'd learned not to back down from a challenge. They'd been ordered to get better, and they needed experience for that.

"Um... um, sure," they responded, trying to ignore the sinking feeling from Kassandra. They sat down at the TV, and Delta could swear they saw their life pass their eyes as they began.

~~

Needless to say, Delta got hit hard by that loss. Considering their first impressions of Asher, it hurt them more than it usually did.

Delta tried to keep up with his speed. They really, really did. But it was as if he could predict their movements. They kept making stupid mistakes. Delta thought they knew their character better than anyone in the group, and they had been doing well, but this person seemed to know each and every character in and out. Including Delta's.

It didn't help that he kind of laughed in their face and dismissed them. "Come back to me after another few years," he'd snarled with a cocky grin, before walking away to engage with some of the other members. Delta slumped over in the chair, looking downcast at the floor.

Asher. Asher. Why did that name sound so familiar? Why did it feel so wrong to them?

They thought about shaking his hand earlier. The inside of their palm still felt wrong where he'd touched them.

"He's pretty good."

Rye took the seat next to them and put a hand on their shoulder.

"I've taken him on a few times, but I've mostly lost. I think you did well for your skill level, although being nervous must not have helped. You missed a couple of big punishes there."

"Thanks, I suppose," Delta sighed, forcing a smile at Rye. At least he was there. "Hey, does he... play here often?"

"Asher? Not really," Rye shrugged. "He comes like every few months, two or three times a year tops. I wouldn't worry about practicing against him. Way I see it, you can get better enough to trash him the next time he comes."

Delta nodded. They hoped they'd get better, and feel better when next they saw him. But a traitorous part of their mind whispered they'd never be good enough to face him.

"Let's do one last match before we call it a day. No stakes, just for fun. Y'know, for your birthday."

"Sure. That sounds good." Delta's smile was genuine this time, though the anxiety burning through their soul remained.

~~ 

One match turned into two, then three, and then they lost count. As they shook hands, Rye congratulating Delta's victory - something that had, to their surprise, become the norm lately - Rye caught a glimpse of the clock out of the corner of his eye, and swore. 

"It's seven-thirty already?" he groaned. "I have to get back..."

Delta jumped. They did too, didn't they? Mistress would be home at eight. They could make it if they ran... and honestly, they just wanted to get away from Asher as soon as possible. Thankfully, they probably had enough time to get home and shower before their Mistress got there.

They were honestly relieved that their Mistress was coming over. They were unsure if they wanted to tell her about Asher, although she'd probably weasel it out of them anyways. They were excited to show her the art they did, though - if partially for the possibility of getting degraded - and tell her about the party the group threw for them. They weren't sure if she would care, but it would be nice to at least tell someone.

They had started to care about what she thought a lot more than they'd ever expected to. In the past, they'd only thought of her as their captor, a mere fact of their life. But that felt like it was so far in the past, it was as impenetrable as the rest of their memories. Now, they actually valued her as a guiding force in their life. Even though they were her property, she genuinely wanted them to improve their life and do more with it. They had a feeling she did care about them, even as unbelievable as it was. Honestly, that was the best outcome they could have hoped for from the auction. Far better than they'd ever imagined their situation would be.

So once they arrived home, they immediately began to put themself together to be ready before she got there. They took a shower, dried their hair, got into a cute enough outfit, and sat down on the bed to wait expectantly. They paged through their sketchbook to pass the time. After having taken their mind off it, they could approach their work with a much more critical eye... and they really hoped their Mistress would forgive some of the basic and obvious mistakes they made.

They started as that thought brought a decidedly intense warmth with it. They were already feeling aroused by the fact they'd followed each one of her orders today. They had actually gone through with their day and prepared themself to be ready by eight, just as she wanted, although it had been pretty close at the end. Nothing they did was sexual, but that didn't change the fact that obedience was pleasure, and they had obeyed.

They started again as they heard the door unlock and open. They shut their sketchbook and stood up, facing the hallway to greet their Mistress immediately. Their heart sang in excitement, as always, and they couldn't help but smile in a way they knew was a little dopey.

Their Mistress spent no time on pleasantries, though. She grabbed Delta by the neck, and roughly dragged them back into the bedroom by it. Delta, though shocked by her sudden grip and struggling to breathe, barely resisted as she threw them into the room. They took a moment to reorient themself as their Mistress let them go, rubbing their bruised neck.

"Um, h-hello-" Delta choked out as their Mistress practically flung her coat off.

"I don't have time to greet you," she growled, laying her coat on the chair. Underneath was wearing a silky black dress with bright aqua blue orchards embroidered on the sides. That was far more than she normally wore for them. "I've had a difficult day, and you're going to help me feel better."

Delta didn't say anything, and just nodded.

"Clothes off, now," she ordered with a snap, and Delta hurried to comply, taking off their shirt, shorts, and underwear as quickly as they could. In moments they stood completely naked in front of their Mistress, waiting for her to make the next move.

Their Mistress wasted no time before she shoved them against the side of the bed, pulling them into a rough and heated kiss. She pulled a handful of Delta's hair up, ignoring their soft cry of shock, allowing her to get deeper into their mouth. Her tongue played with Delta's for a minute as she pushed deeper into their kiss, and Delta could already feel her excitement in the form of pressure against their leg. They weren't much better themself. Their cheeks burned as they felt themself get aroused by the contact, and that heat only grew as their Mistress grabbed one of their tits, groping it roughly. Delta let out another cry as their Mistress began to dry-hump their leg.

Delta let out some soft whimpers, just short of verbally begging their Mistress to take them right then and there. They needn't have worried, though; their Mistress heard their silent pleas and pulled back with a wicked grin.

"What? You need me to screw the last bit of your brains out already?" she asked, her voice soft despite her heavy breathing and malicious expression.

Delta nodded. "Y-yes, please..."

A sharp slap across the face.

"Shut the fuck up. You don't control what's happening here. Only I do. I don't know where you got the idea to ask me for things, but get it out of your head," she growled, her face inches away from Delta's. Delta nodded again with a whimper, and she smiled cruelly at them. "Stop whining, plaything. You know I'm going to do whatever I want to you."

She pulled Delta up closer to the other edge of the bed, and laid down next to them. Looking at Delta's body with that sadistic smile, she drew her hand down to Delta's crotch, and started to finger them slowly, tantalizingly, before gradually beginning to speed up. If Delta hadn't already been turned on enough, they would have been in moments as their Mistress turned her attention to their clit.

"Now, plaything, the minute you get close to finishing, I want you to tell me you're about to go over," their Mistress huffed as she kept on going, enjoying every pant and moan from her loyal plaything.

Delta clenched the bedsheets in a frantic grip, eyes going wide and entire body shivering as they got close. "Ah... ah..." they panted, their eyes glazing over as a rush filled them. "I'm... I'm getting close..."

"You are?" she asked, the sadistic smile returning. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she slowed down her movements, ripping Delta from their near-orgasm heights back down to Earth. "Then let's make it last, shall we?"

Delta groaned in frustration, or desperation - they couldn't tell the difference anymore. They kept panting as their Mistress kept circling them, slower, building back up in speed agonizingly slowly. Already, they felt like they couldn't take any more.

"I see that look on your face," their Mistress grinned. Delta turned to look at her, their face burning red and eyes still half-unfocused. "But you don't want to cum. Because I haven't given you permission. And you don't want to do anything without my permission, do you?"

"N-no, Mmistresss," Delta stuttered out, which was rewarded with another increase in speed around their clit.

"Do you want to cum, plaything?"

Delta nodded desperately. Their Mistress slapped them across the face, slowing down again.

"Wrong answer. You don't want to come, idiot. Not without my permission. Why can't you get my words through your stupid brain? Do you even listen to me?" she growled, grinning predatorily. "If you finish without me telling you to, you won't like what comes next. And you don't want that, do you?"

Delta couldn't respond, their mind numb from all the edging. Their Mistress just grinned wider, and sped back up. Each time she brought them to the edge, Delta was getting closer and closer to going over, and the time between each edge and when they said they were close was mere seconds. Delta was getting wetter and wetter, and they could hear how wet they were, especially when their Mistress sped up. Back and forth, up and down, over and over again. Delta tried to keep track, but lost count pretty quickly. They couldn't keep track of much, after all. They had to have been edged so many times... While they didn't know the exact count, it felt like at least half an hour of being brought up, only to be forced back down.

"Let me ask you again, you stupid ditz," their Mistress demanded, the insult only making it harder for Delta to hold back. "Do you want to come?"

"Nnoooo, Missstressss," Delta slurred.

"And why not?"

"Because yoooou... you haven't, ah... you haven't given meeeee permission..."

"Good answer," their Mistress cooed. "Even for a ditz like yourself, you learn quickly." 

She sped up again, more intensely, and Delta barely registered any time before they cried out that they were going to finish, as if their moans and soaked cunt weren't indication enough. They could practically feel their clit vibrating, fluids dripping from inside.

"You are? How close are you?"

"Very, very close," Delta groaned, their entire body shivering with pleasure. "Soooooooo cloooose..."

"Go." Their Mistress' words left no room for hesitation. "I've given you permission. Go over, now."

Delta couldn't stand the edging anymore, not as she sped up for a final burst. Their body seemed to freeze in place as it jerked up and down with the force of the best orgasm they could remember in their life. It felt like each edge had built them up higher and higher, and it had all released in this moment. They cried out over and over again, unable to hold back 

Eventually, their mind spun down, back to coherent thought. Their entire body felt like jelly. That felt... good.

Their Mistress pulled her hand away, fingers drenched with Delta's cum, and pulled out a paper towel from the nightstand to dry them off. She gave Delta an affectionate look, before adopting a cruel smile. "Do you feel good, plaything?"

"Y-yes, Mistress," Delta said as they breathed out, closing their eyes. "I feel v-very, very good."

Their Mistress pulled the blankets over them, and moved up closer to them, wrapping them in an unexpectedly warm embrace. "Well, Happy birthday, Delta."

Delta blinked, surprise piercing through their fatigue.

"You... remembered?"

"Of course I did. I'm not an idiot like you. And I got a gift for you, too." Their Mistress slid her clean finger up and down Delta's bare torso, a light distraction as she spoke.

"Oh! You... did? Um... thank you, Mistress." Delta smiled sheepishly at their Mistress. "Um... can I ask what it is?"

"It's... a new name."

Delta blinked again. What? "Um... f-forgive me for asking, but why?"

"Because your old name, Delta, comes from a time where you had freedom. Where you had aspirations and dreams past being mine. Where you were owned by others, or, heaven forbid, yourself. And that's not your life anymore, is it? So, I feel it's time for you to turn over a new leaf, and make another step as my property." Once again, her expression and tone softened, as it always did when she proposed something drastic or new. "That's within my rights as your owner, is it not?"

Delta's eyes darted around. "Uh... what's... what's the new name?"

"I need to know you're willing to take it before I tell you." Their Mistress looked at them intently, grabbing Delta's chin to lock eyes. "Are you ready to accept your new life, completely?"

They couldn't help but pause. A part of them still wanted to be free. But as they thought about that moment of care, that soft exposure of a more vulnerable Mistress... they realized they were free, in a way. They could leave when they chose to, even if they had to return. But of course they'd return. This was home. And they had someone who cared about them enough to want to make them hers.

They couldn't truly say they were ready, but they certainly didn't want this to end.

"Yes, I am, Mistress," they finally responded, feeling an odd sense of disconnection as they did.

"Your new name... is Lily."

Delta took a moment to think as the new name set in. Was it too feminine of a name? They scrapped that thought, remembering that, to their Mistress, it didn't matter how feminine they dressed or acted. To her, they would be them, still nonbinary, not a confused girl or a trans guy in denial like they'd been called so many times by assholes trying to make them doubt themselves. And, honestly, it was pretty. It was a lovely flower, one that looked wonderful on display... like them, they supposed, blushing.

"A beautiful flower," their Mistress added.

"Yes," they whispered back.

They sat in silence for some time longer. Delta, Lily, turned over and curled up against their Mistress' side.

"Okay," they said, smiling wanly.

"Do you accept it as your new name, and yourself as my property?"

"Yes, Mistress," Lily responded, beginning to doze off. "I... yeah, I love it. It's... a nice name... thank you."

They fell asleep against her, feeling as though they'd crossed a line they couldn't take back. But that was okay. Because it was a step towards her. They were ready.