Hi, I’m Skaetlett. This is the sequel to Bouquet Bound, the first long-form erotic story I wrote, Garden Ablaze.

When I wrote the original Bouquet Bound, the story was inspired by grief. A very close and intense relationship had just ended. Bouquet Bound’s story was based on a story from that relationship, and I wrote it as a form of catharsis. To be honest, I did not expect people to read it, or enjoy it at that. I’m very grateful so many people liked it and wanted more.

In March 2022, one year before the posting of this story, I found out I inherited a hereditary cancer disorder called Lynch syndrome. The whirlwind of emotions I experienced was like a hurricane. When receiving such a diagnosis, there is a process of grieving. While the reasoning for my grief greatly differed from my breakup in 2019 (usually, a hereditary cancer diagnosis carries more gravity than a breakup), it felt as intense, in a unique way. But unlike my breakup, my Lynch syndrome diagnosis will follow me for the rest of my life.

Back when I wrote the original story, I wrote a shameless self-insert. I didn’t particularly understand that there weren’t any non-binary characters written yet, or that people may not want to read a story about a plural protagonist. Writing the original Bouquet Bound pulled me through a difficult process. I’m hoping this sequel will, as well.

I understand, now, after four years of writing hypnosis erotica, that not everyone might want to read a story about a character coping with hereditary cancer. And yet, I am writing it anyway. Many of the experiences written will mirror what I felt, what I said, what I wanted and didn’t want. I will not be showing any graphic details of cancer screenings or whatnot. If you would like to stay and read, I hope you find the experience meaningful. And if you don’t, there are plenty of other good stories on this website for you to read. Please consider this a content warning for hereditary cancer.

Life is chaotic, and messy, and unpredictable. And yet, even in the darkest of moments, there is love, and joy, and meaning.

Thank you for reading.

~~

Five years.

Lily’s bleary eyes stared at the calendar for way too long, thinking “today is important, but for some reason, I can’t figure out why.” It took a solid two or three minutes for them to put the pieces together. “Oh, yeah. Fitting for an idiot like me,” they giggled to themself. One would think they’d remember the exact day they were bought at auction for hundreds of thousands of dollars, by a complete stranger.

Of course, that didn’t mean Lily didn’t remember everything that happened after. Vividly, they did, they remembered every second getting molded and trained into the perfect submissive - perfect, they thought. They remembered growing closer to their Mistress, every day, every hour, every second. They loved Magnolia. Magnolia loved them. It was hard to think of anything that could threaten their adoration for each other. The first year wasn’t quite as splendid or romantic, but were beginnings ever perfect?

Memories, stories, they could remember.

But dates and years, yeah, they’d forget those. Numbers didn’t really come easily to them.

“Anyways,” Lily murmured to themself, “let’s get going.”

They darted around the kitchen in their usual manner, setting things up the way their Mistress liked. The coffee machine, first - morning uncaffeinated Magnolia wasn’t something they cared to experience. Ingredients for breakfast. Making breakfast. Toast in oven, eggs cracked. Pouring the coffee as the eggs fried. Lily didn’t particularly have a routine or a set way of doing things… which was surprising, when they thought about it. Magnolia loved routines. Of course, Lily figured out ways to make mornings - and everything - easier for the both of them, but they didn’t have an order or a system.

A quiet moment drifted through the room. Lily quickly walked to the bedroom, peering into the dimly lit grand room.

They smiled.

They were happy.

And then they went back to making breakfast. Once that task was finished, they took a moment for themself. Their Mistress had an old collection of candles she’d dug up three or so months ago. And so, Lily made one routine - lighting a new candle every morning. Yesterday’s was a citrus scent. Today’s was one they hadn’t tried - clean linen.

It was a good choice.

Their Mistress was still asleep. At least, they thought. Lily set up the table, plates and food next to each other. Apparently there was an art to table setting. Magnolia would always talk about it. To be honest, Lily didn’t understand how it was an art, or what that would even look like.

Lily closed their eyes. They didn’t want to admit it, but they were exhausted. Maybe… if they just dozed off for a couple minutes, it wouldn’t be a problem…

The sudden, jolting feeling of their hair being roughly pulled upwards proved them wrong. “Augh!” they exclaimed. A moment of panic set in their chest; they instinctively tried to thrash out of the grasp.

“Who said you could go back to sleep?” Magnolia whispered into their ear. Lily gasped slightly, their body calming down from one scary thing to register the other scary thing. “I sure don’t remember doing so.”

Lily shook their head gently. “N-no one, Mistress,” they responded. Despite how much they tried, their fatigue slipped through their voice a little. “I’m v-very sorry.”

They could feel their Mistress wickedly grinning against their ear. “Correct. Good plaything.” Finally, she released Lily’s hair, making her sub collapse into their seat. Magnolia twirled around them and sat in the other chair. Now that Lily had her in front of their eyes, they had to wonder how she got up and dressed so quickly. Or maybe their Mistress was just that naturally gorgeous.

Lily lowered their head a little - a show of respect? Fear? Guilt? Before they turned to their food and began to eat. Their Mistress raised an eyebrow their way - Lily pretended not to notice - before she began eating as well. “Passable,” she murmured, sounding some mix of disappointed and amused. “At least you didn’t burn anything this time.”

Lily couldn’t tell if that was praise or an insult. “U-um, thank you, Mistress.” The uncertainty made their hands begin to shake. “S-should I have done anything different?”

Magnolia paused. For a second she didn’t move or take her eyes away from her food. Then, her head turned to face Lily, leering at them. Lily froze in place, their breath stopping. What? What was she thinking?

“...Different?” she repeated.

“Ah, um, I’m sorry, maybe that was the wrong way to-”

“Shut up,” she snapped. Lily immediately closed their mouth. “I’m thinking.” Lily’s head nodded quickly, shortly.

For a while, they sat there in silence. Lily struggled to keep eye contact, their eyes darting from left to right. Eye contact never came easily to them, even - especially - when it was an order. Just as Lily began to think they were for some reason in serious trouble, Magnolia spoke again.

“Weren’t you going to go for a run this morning?” she asked. The question was seemingly random.

As Lily answered, they tried to figure out the reason for her asking. “Um… I was thinking of it, but-”

“Great. Take your purse with you and get a piece of jewelry you’d like.”

Lily blinked. Now they were confused. Would anyone else be? Wasn’t that a strange order, completely unrelated to breakfast or why Magnolia seemed hesitant to give a straight answer? Not to mention, what a nonspecific answer - Lily didn’t want to mess up… “Um… forgive me for asking, but-”

“Are you going to say no?” Magnolia impatiently tapped her finger on the table. “Did it sound like I was asking a question?”

Lily tensed up again. “No, Mistress. I - I’ll get something I think looks nice.”

“Good. Oh, and one more thing.”

Magnolia put her utensils down, stood up, walked over to Lily, and slammed them into the wall before they could figure out what was going on. She clawed her nails into their shaking body, definitely leaving marks that would at least last the rest of the day. Lily’s heart sank, their adrenaline count flew up, their stomach filled with butterflies and their eyes quivered in fear. Magnolia kept them there for some time, watching them fall apart in amusement. Of course. Lily must have looked so pathetic.

“What? What are you scared of?” Magnolia mocked. “I was just going to tell you to be back quickly.”

“I-I, yes, Mistress, I’ll be quick,” they answered with a weak, quiet voice.

“Good.” She let go of them, giving them only a second to catch their breath. “Off you go, then.”

Lily’s run wasn’t nearly as calming as usual. Fortunately, for someone who lived on the high of being owned and treated whichever way their owner pleased, that was a good thing.

~~

Lily came home drenched in sweat. They were grateful the snow hadn't quite hit their city yet.They got the cold breeze against hot skin without having to treat slushy inconvenience powder. Hell, with how early it was, they barely even had to worry about seeing people. People seeing them. It was a breezy run in near-silence. Perfect.

They were almost sad when it ended. They took their shoes off at the door, hanging them on the shelving unit. Lily briefly shuddered at the first time they trailed dirt into Magnolia's home. Was their shudder sexual or fearful? Yes.

To be honest, they expected Magnolia to have been gone by the time they got home. Grocery shopping, seeing a friend, or doing something Lily was entirely clueless around. Whatever they expected, it wasn't for her to be home.

So when their hair was grabbed, and their body was slammed into the wall again, their heart briefly stopped.

Lily stammered for a while, looking into their Mistress' eyes with horror. Something like this wasn't entirely unreasonable - or uncommon - from her. And yet, there was something different in her eyes, that Lily couldn't quite make out.

In a fit of nerves, their eyes glanced to the side. Magnolia didn't like that. She roughly cupped their chin and forced their gaze back to her eyes.

"I want to try an experiment," she suddenly said. No other explanation was immediately offered.

"A-an experiment?"

SLAP!

As Lily reeled from the sudden - harsher than normal - smack to their cheek, their Mistress continued. "Yes. Are you questioning me? Is that what you're doing right now?"

Yes, some part of their brain responded. But they shook their head. Their Mistress seemed satisfied with that. "I thought so."

Finally, she let go of their hair. But Lily remained pinned to the wall merely by Magnolia's presence. With her other hand, she ran her nails down Lily's cheek, digging lightly into the skin. "Do you know what high protocol training is, plaything?"

Lily had a guess... "Is it like, um, well, when you train me in a... um..." Eventually, they shook their head. "I don't know. I'm sorry, Mistress."

Her nails dug deeper into their skin, almost like a threat. "Then 'no, Mistress' would have sufficed.” Her scowl deepened. Lily could have sworn they were already dead, for some reason. “Well, you know not to refer to me by anything other than Mistress?"

Lily nodded. If they wanted to refer to Magnolia by name, then at least they had to preface her name with 'Mistress'. "Good toy. And you know how you wake up and make me breakfast like an obedient servant?" Lily nodded again. They got the impression Magnolia didn't want to hear them talk. "And you see, that's all fine and good. But the way you do these things... the way you talk to me, about me, the wonderful ways you serve me..."

Her nails dug so deep they began to leave wounds. "Many other Dommes would have your head for clumsiness."

Lily's heart sank. They opened their mouth to speak. Magnolia used the opportunity to silence them - by shoving her fingers into their mouth. "You set the table like you've never seen a fork in your life. You don't talk to me with nearly the respect you should. I want to remind you of something, Lily."

She leaned in, and whispered. 

"We are not equals."

Lily paled. "We-we're not?" That was obvious, or at least it should have been. Sure, their dynamic was imbalanced. To a fun extent. Based on what Magnolia was saying, though...

"Oh, no, plaything. I've been too soft on you if you got that impression. What we do isn't play. It's your life. More importantly, it's my life - the one I've built towards. I didn't just meet you anywhere, did I? I bought you specifically, because I wanted to own you. I've given you freedom because it was my decision. And I can take that away fairly easily, can't I?"

Lily felt breathless. They responded with a coarse, "y-yes, Mistress, you can."

Magnolia's frown twisted into a smirk. She loved this. She loved terrifying Lily. They knew that. But if Lily was being honest with themself, they still didn't know what their Mistress wanted to do with them. Did she only want to scare them? Was that the point? "I'm going to let go of you, plaything, and you're going to stand up straight and look me in the eyes. Is that clear?"

Lily nodded, their movements shallow. "Yes, Mistress."

Magnolia let go of them. Lily took a moment to catch their breath and let their nervous eyes wander for a minute.

That was a mistake.

"What are you waiting for?" Lily jumped out of their skin. "Stand up straight and *look at me*."

They followed the direction before their slow brain could even finish processing each syllable. "Yes, Mistress," they responded immediately. Looking their Mistress in the eyes was the easiest part - or rather, the least challenging. They straightened their back, lowered their shoulders, and idly played with their wedding ring. Magnolia grabbed their hand and held it firmly, still.

She hadn't told them to move, after all.

"You don't get to do anything I don't explicitly tell you to do," she growled. "You don't make decisions here. Do you?"

"No, Mistress," Lily's voice cracked.

"Correct. I'm going to drill that idea into your head. I am always your priority. I always come before you - in all senses of the phrase.” She laughed at her own crude joke. “My word holds more weight than yours. You know these things already, but not enough. So I'm going to drill them into your thick skull. I'm going to make it so every single action, every single word, is done to serve my command."

Lily's hand tried to move anxiously. It couldn't. They couldn't move. Their body - their mind - both were frozen in place like a bunny before a wolf.

"We have routines. I'm going to tighten them, as much as I please. I know it's going to take time," her grin widened, gazing into Lily's terrified eyes, "which is *wonderful*, because it gives me more opportunities to punish you. Oh, that reminds me."

Three consecutive slaps, one after another, alternating between each cheek. "Those are going to get worse. The more you screw up, the more you forget? The harder, more painful, and longer they will be."

Lily couldn't think before they spoke. "Why?" Oh fuck. Two minutes into high protocol training and they already fucked up something they knew - never question Mistress.

Magnolia paused, glaring at them, just long enough to make them feel exponential fear. "I'll let you have that one," she said calmly. "Isn't that kind of me?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"Aww," she cooed pityingly. "You thought I was being serious."

Magnolia grabbed Lily's body tightly. Obviously, she didn't have the arm strength that Lily had, but they were subordinate to her mental strength anyway. That alone allowed her to throw Lily against the wall. She gripped their neck, choking them around their collar.

Lily's body tensed up. Their legs clenched together.

That was right.

Despite the fear, despite the apparent change, everything still felt scintillating to them.

"Wow," Magnolia exhaled. Her other hand trailed down their waist, playing dangerously close to the hem of their workout pants. "Here I am, talking about how I'm about to make your life significantly harder, *threatening* you, and you're still getting off on this. Isn't that pathetic, idiot?"

Lily's words grew quieter, and the more air they lost, the more blood flowed to their crotch from their brain. But they knew what to answer. "Yes, Mistress." Ahh, nothing like self-degradation on top of outside degradation.

"Let me be clear. Your entire life is going to revolve around me. Even more so than it already does, that is. This doesn't just mean sex. Household chores. Morning rituals. Routines for when I come home where you stop whatever you're doing, get on your knees, and worship me. Staying aware of the time to the millisecond, my mood, and what I want even when I don't say it. I'm going to make you so many things - a housespouse, a devoted worshiper of my divinity, a personal servant at my beck and call. Every routine I give you, you're going to be expected to perform it to perfection, without a hair out of place. You're going to feel nothing but pain otherwise. And hearing this makes you just a dumb, horny slut, doesn't it?"

Lily whimpered. "Yes, Mistress." If anything, her saying all that made them feel even more aroused. Magnolia's hand trailing beneath their pants only made it more impossible to stay composed.

Magnolia paused, keeping Lily in that state of fear-arousal as she began lightly stroking their sex. "But to answer your stupid question, 'why?' It's because I want a submissive I can be proud to show off to people. 'But Mistress,'" she mocked, "'don't you do that already? By taking me to business parties and making me a human fleshlight?'" Lily had in fact been about to ask that. "Because that shit is easy, Lily. It's easy to lie back and be a sex toy and let people use your body freely. But servicing other people, my friends and colleagues..."

She let go of their neck, finally giving them a chance to breathe. Even then, Lily couldn't control their breath, as Magnolia continued to play with their body.

"That's something you couldn't do, not even if you pushed your two brain cells hard enough together," she explained. "You've gained confidence in many areas. Even I  can acknowledge that. It took time, Lily, but you eventually got somewhere." Lily cracked a smile. A nervous one, still, but a smile. "But I didn't want to push you over the edge. I didn't want to break you to the point you'd be useless to me. You were still an anxious wreck - and we both know you still are." Her hands effortlessly slid into their cunt. Lily's back arched and they gasped. Still, they kept their eyes on Mistress. They were obedient, if nothing else. "But now that you've grown enough... now that your state of mind is under more control - my control..."

She fingered them roughly. Lily could barely focus on what she was saying. Looking her in the eyes was hard enough. Their legs shook, knees clicking together, threatening to make them fall.

"I feel comfortable pushing you further."

"Y-yes, Mistress," Lily moaned. Their voice quivered. Deep down, that's what they wanted - to be obedient, useful, perfect for their Mistress. Maybe it wasn't what they had always wanted. But it was how Magnolia made them. How she molded them.

She released her fingers from their cunt, leaving them flushed with denied arousal. Before Lily could process that, though, she slammed their weak-before-her body to the ground. Into a kneeling position. Lily couldn't refuse or resist. They were going to collapse, anyway. Magnolia only expedited the process.

Magnolia grabbed their hair, and forced them to look downwards. "You see this, this position? You at my feet? Physically lesser than I am?"

"Yes, Mistress," Lily said, their voice tight due to the angle.

"You'll be getting used to this." She gripped their hair tighter. "To being less than me. Because you always were, Lily. But I'm going to make that a part of you. You started as clay, and I molded you to my design, but I’ll take it further. You'll be a piece of art, one that would fit in any museum's collection."

Lily instinctively tried to look up. Magnolia didn’t allow them. “Your head should stay down until I tell you to rise, plaything.”

“Yes, Mistress,” Lily responded. They tried to hide the uncomfortable mass of fear and anxiety in their throat. She was asking for a lot. Threatening to do a lot. To them. With them. Were they… disappointing their Mistress?

She released their hair - at least, from her grip. She petted their head softly. “You may rise.”

Lily slowly rose to their feet. Their knees were still shaking, and their heart wouldn’t stop pounding against their chest. In the span of five minutes at most, Lily might as well have been hit by a truck. Their mind tried to process what was going on, what was happening. What in the world was Magnolia talking about?

Before they could ask any questions - not that they wanted to, after that show of dominance - Magnolia grabbed their body and pulled them in tight. Lily’s body went along. After all, close touch wasn’t uncalled for, and it wasn’t like they could resist if they ever wanted to. “Good, good plaything,” Magnolia whispered. “You must be so shaken. Aren’t you?”

“Yes, Mistress,” they answered quietly. Even their voice shook.

They stood in silence for a couple minutes. Lily closed their eyes. Were they laying down, they felt they would have fallen asleep. But they weren’t. They stood, supported only by their Mistress’ presence.

Finally, the silence broke. Magnolia spoke as she trailed her hand down her loyal servant's back. "How are you feeling, with all that said, plaything?"

It took Lily a moment to collect their thoughts. A couple moments. "I... Confused, Mistress."

They knew not to give dishonest replies. Finding the right word without sounding ungrateful (Them? *Ungrateful?* Never.) was quite a challenge. Keeping Mistress waiting was unthinkable, though.

Magnolia chuckled. *Okay, well, she isn't angry. I think.* "I guessed you would be. You're so predictable." She kissed the top of their forehead, and Lily couldn’t help but let out a small giggle.

"I'm doing this because I love you," she said, "and I love what we have. But I know who I am, and what I want. I've been holding back, keeping certain things as... well, empty threats." Lily shivered, and Magnolia tightened her grip to keep them relatively still. "And that's because it takes time to build a good submissive up. And I have. Wasn't that kind of me?"

"Yes, Mistress," Lily murmured into her chest. "Thank you." They weren't quite sure what they were saying thank you for.

"So now that you're just so... lovely, loyal..."

Magnolia spoke slowly, but those words had an effect that was anything but slow. Lily suddenly felt at the edge of trance, their world shifting in slow motion. Their mind warped, slipping from their fingers gradually. In trance, they only knew one thing. One person.

Unfortunately, Magnolia didn't let them have the embrace of trance. "I feel inclined to refine you." Lily blinked hard, returning to the waking world. "That has always been my wish. To have the perfect plaything. But I'm patient, you see. I took my time. It's... a process." Lily felt their body being rocked from side to side. "Five years. I waited five years to shift to this new phase. In truth, I would have liked for it to take less time. But I can't force these things. I can only make your tiny brain work so hard."

Lily mumbled something incomprehensible. Words still weren't coming easily to them, but they managed. "What are you going to do with me, Mistress?"

Magnolia tightened her grip. "We're going to establish routines. And I'm *not* going to hold back in making sure you do them perfectly, plaything."

"I... I... what if I mess up?"

"Then I'll just break you," she spoke softer, "more," softer, "and more," barely above a whisper, "until it's nothing short of instinct."

Lily didn't respond for a long time, letting their mind continue to work. "Okay, Mistress."

"Good plaything," she praised. "Do you have any more questions - stupid or otherwise?"

Lily squinted and looked away towards the wall. "A couple."

"Go on."

"Will it hurt?"

"Yes."

"But-"

"Next question."

Lily gulped. Well, at least they got an answer to that. "What do you mean... routines?"

"I have a couple ideas," Magnolia started. "Say, as a cursory example, every day at noon, you text me a picture in some degrading pose. It's only fitting that someone like you would debase yourself that way." Lily flushed harder. "Not giving you the grace of a few extra seconds to decide. Or, perhaps, having you fall to your knees in front of me the second I get home. Going harder on mantras, deeper, pushing their timing and circumstances. Daily tasks. Sexual routines. Giving you *increasingly harsh* punishments for *every time* you fuck up. I have ideas. *Plenty* of them."

Lily nodded. In truth, none of that sounded scary. It might have before, but... they had been trained for this, molded. The punishments for doing them wrong, on the other hand? "And... what happens when I mess up?"

"Gosh, so many questions. I can't give *everything* away, you know," Magnolia chided. "Well, you know how sometimes I give you ten strikes when you mess something up?"

Lily paled. "Y-yes?"

"Imagine fifty," she spoke coldly, "or one hundred. Or more. Imagine my binding you motionless for hours, instead of minutes. Giving you so much pain even your pathetic body can't turn it into pleasure. Overwhelming your brain to the point you can't form a coherent thought for days. You know. Things like that. Just scaling it up..." She clawed Lily's back. "... a little."

None of that sounded like 'a little'. In normal circumstances, Lily would have fled, run away, let their legs carry them for miles.

But they stayed. Despite how terrifying the situation felt.

"What... made you want to do this now?"

That question seemed to be one she hadn't expected, and she thought for a moment in silence before she responded. "Just watching you put your needs before mine at breakfast today," she explained.

"Oh! Um, I'm, I'm s-"

"I didn't ask for an apology, plaything. Technically, you did nothing wrong. You can't break a rule I haven't given you. But should you do so tomorrow, well... that'll be a different story." She chuckled lightly. "Something just clicked. Things have been stable for too long. You've gotten too comfortable. Hell, *I've* gotten too comfortable."

Magnolia gripped Lily's hair, and pulled it down. Once more, Lily's eyes were suddenly forced to look at Magnolia's. *Don't look away, don't look away, don't look away.*

"Thank you, for reminding me how delightful it is to be cruel to my plaything," she grinned sadistically. "How much I enjoy breaking you. The *real* purpose for dropping six figures to own you."

"I... you're welcome, Mistress?"

"Of course, plaything," she laughed. "Breaking you is my favorite pastime."

In any other relationship, that would have been a red flag, a signal to leave. But they already knew their relationship wasn't normal. Here, it was a compliment unlike any other. Lily thrived on this kind of attention. This level of threat. The way their Mistress treated them like some kind of toy, a servant, a stress ball.

They were in their place.

"Oh, um, I'm sorry. I had one more," Lily suddenly realized.

"One more," Magnolia reaffirmed, "then we're going back to not questioning your Owner."

"That... piece of jewelry..." they started. They couldn't help it, but their eyes wandered to the fancy gift bag, "what did you want it for?"

Magnolia inhaled sharply. "Oh, wow! So even you can surprise me. You remembered something I didn't."

"Is that good?" Lily asked quietly.

"I'll decide later." She let go of them, and Lily nearly collapsed to the ground without the physical support. "Go grab it."

Lily quickly nodded, affirming the command, and grabbed the bag. Gingerly, they pulled out something they had thought fit their Mistress' tastes - a bracelet in woven silver, with five ruby pendants spaced around. It appealed to them - the piece had just the right amount of personality without being excessive. "Does... this look good, Mistress?"

Magnolia pulled it from their hand. She glared at it. Then at Lily. Lily felt dead in the water. Did they make the wrong decision? That was an angry Magnolia look, right? They never could tell, but glaring generally was a bad thing.

Suddenly, her look shifted. "Excellent choice, plaything," she smiled gently. Lily exhaled their soul out. "You've gained quite the exquisite taste. Another thing I've given you."

And then she pocketed it.

Lily opened their mouth, and then closed it. "Yes?" Magnolia raised an eyebrow. "Did you want to question me?"

*What did you want me to get it for?* Lily shook their head. "I thought so," Magnolia grinned. Satisfied, she sat down on the couch. Lily, on instinct, nearly sat down next to her. Their Mistress stopped that - she held her arm out. "Did you already forget what we just discussed, plaything? Did I tell you that you could sit?"

Lily froze. They shook their head. Internally, they beat themself up for a moment. Not for too long.

"Kneel," she ordered. Lily obeyed, wincing as their knees fell against the cold stone tile. "Stay there, plaything. Don't let me watch you shaking."

"Yes, Mistress," Lily grimaced, repositioning themself to have their legs prop them up as best they could.

High protocol training. So that meant... Change. Increasingly harsh punishments. Magnolia saying... that Lily was prepared for this. The emotions settled in Lily's heart, and a soft smile creeped across their face. Magnolia reached into her jacket, and pulled out the pocket watch Lily knew so well.

"Technically," she started, "I could use your triggers directly. But it's been a while. So let me take you down *personally*."

"Yes, Mistress."

"Now, as your mind wanders through the mist surrounding you," she spoke, voice abruptly soft, "and as your body begins to shut down, as your mind begins to melt below your skin, as you so obediently follow my words... I want to ask you something, my lovely, loyal plaything."

"Hmm?" Lily asked sleepily. Their eyes fluttered, eyelids struggling to focus on the watch. Falling into trance was second nature to them. It was hard to resist, even without a trigger or a long induction.

"Are you satisfied, plaything?" Magnolia asked. "Do you like where you are in life? Beneath me? Owned? At my mercy?"

Beneath Magnolia. Owned by her. At her mercy. So many big words, words that Lily could barely process while on the edges of trance. If they were any other situation, they probably would have been trying to escape for the past five years. Or if they were any other person, they would have despised Magnolia and the situation. Or they would have just been thrown out after making a mistake.

To anyone else, their relationship was toxic. Unhealthy. And maybe it was, but they didn’t care. It was imbalanced, in the worst possible way. Having no way to escape, no way out of their situation even if they wanted one? To anyone else, such a radical dynamic in a relationship, unnegotiated, would be grounds for a breakup. There was a reason they kept those particular aspects of their relationship to themselves.

The way Magnolia threatened them was cathartic, exciting, dizzying to them, even as it would have been horrifying to anyone else.

The amount of control she had over them - which apparently she had decided to increase - was safety to them. And to anyone else, it would have been the opposite.

Lily was stupid. They knew that. Stupid for wanting to be in this situation. Stupid for enjoying it. It was a good thing their Owner liked them being stupid. A smart plaything probably wouldn’t have done her nearly as much good.

Did Lily like where they were in life?

Thinking about that question was too difficult. A strain on their exhausted, breaking brain. Luckily, the answer came easily. 

"Yeah," they responded. "Everything is fine."

"Good," Magnolia replied. "Then just listen to me, and focus on absolutely nothing else, my lovely, loyal Lily."