“In three months, the Art of Dominance convention will take place. In those three months, I will make you the perfect submissive."

At this point in the day, Lily’s posture had been (painfully) corrected three or four times, they were yelled at twice for fidgeting too much, and they had their face grabbed and forced to make eye contact more times than they could count. Lily couldn’t tell if the rapid change was hot or not. On one hand, degradation? Rough handling? Threats? All those things were down their alley - they learned that in the past five years.

But it wasn’t like they were going to be able to speak up and ask for something else. Unless they wanted to be in a world of pain.

So they dutifully listened, sitting straight, one hand clasped over the other. Magnolia continued. “At that convention, you’ll see submissives who can’t do anything but obey orders. Who physically can’t even think of disobeying, or even of slacking off in their duties. Of course, you’ll also see beginners, probably one or two wannabe cishet male Doms who just like the idea of having someone at their mercy. But,” Magnolia rested her head on one hand, elbow supported on the table. “We’re not beginners, Lily. I’m certainly not. And I’m going to bring you to the level of protocol you’re meant to be at.”

Lily fidgeted for a bit, before breaking the one rule, the one rule. “What’s, um, the convention like?”

Magnolia glared them down, silently forcing Lily to realize their mistake. Not asking questions was going to take some time. But she didn’t immediately punish them... “It’s a gathering of people like us. People in... similar dynamics. Maybe not the exact same, but similar.” Well, yeah. They had to imagine not every D/s couple met at an auction. “Or people looking for that kind of arrangement. Let me ask you - what do you think happens at a D/s convention?”

“U-um. Well.” Lily didn’t know. Were they supposed to? “I-I guess it would be like, um, those business parties you take me to where you, y’know-”

“Strap you down and let my friends have their way? Drench you in fluids? Make you cum so many times you can’t tell left from right? Use every part of your body for their pleasure, amusement, thrill?” Lily flushed, nodding as the explanation sparked lurid memories. “Well, almost. Some people have similar parties. It’s likely we’ll come across some.”

Magnolia grinned at the thought, resting her head on her palm. Idly, she played with her own wedding ring. “But it won’t just be strapping a cute subby girl down and making her the center of attention. No. There will be games. Exhibitions of hypnotized subjects. Jeopardy with subs with, ah... your level of intellect.” Lily tried their hardest not to look away. Their hardest. Their absolute hardest. But everything she was saying sounded so nerve wracking. And so hot, too. “Moreover, there will be day classes, informal gatherings. Folks I want to see. You won’t have to wander far from me. You’ll get to be leashed for the whole convention.” Lily instinctively hooked their finger to their collar anxiously.

“But most importantly, there will be a contest.”

Lily cocked their head. They opened their mouth, then closed it, which made their Mistress smirk.

“A pageant, of sorts. Eight different couples will compete over five rounds in challenges to their dynamics. Testing communication, their sub’s obedience, a Domme’s capabilities in training. Physical skills. Mental, emotional skills. But...” Magnolia sighed, and rubbed her temples with her fingers. “To keep things fair, no one knows what the challenges are ahead of time.”

Lily paused. They hoped this was an okay question to ask... “Do you know what they have been in the past?”

They fully expected Magnolia to scold them for asking too many questions, slapping them or hypnotically forcing them into silence.

“Yes,” she said. “I remember one year.”

Lily blinked. Wistful recollection wasn’t one of the things they were expecting. “What were they?”

Instead of frustration, a look of... sadness? Guilt? Remorse? Crossed her face. Lily wasn’t well versed in the art of face-reading, but they liked to think they knew their Mistress. Her eyes looked downcast, away from Lily, which was unusual. Her body softened, almost a little too much. It looked like the memory wasn’t a comfortable one.

“It’s so different every year,” she finally explained, “that it’s not worth it to recount what I know. We would be walking in with unrealistic expectations. That’s deliberate, of course.”

“I... see,” Lily said. “I’m sorry, I-”

Lily jumped as Magnolia slammed her hand down on the table. “That’s enough questions from you.” She grinned sadistically at them, lips curling a touch wider than usual. “Let’s go back to the matter at hand: making you perfectly obedient. Making you a submissive that could win us those titles.”

“Y-yes, Mistress.”

Lily nearly broke eye contact, but they managed to stop themself. “I know you’re struggling, plaything,” Magnolia sighed, “and don’t worry. That struggle is necessary. But it’ll get easier. And believe me. Soon enough, you’ll be so obedient, so quick and dutiful, that you won’t be able to imagine being anything else. Nor would you ever want to.”

Lily nodded, and Magnolia nodded back. “And you know me. I like making things difficult for you.” She grinned. “So, we’re going to start with improving one of your weakest points.”

“What’s-” Lily’s clasped their hand over their mouth. Magnolia glared at them. Why was not asking questions so hard for them? Wait, that was a question. Maybe the issue was deeper than they thought.

“I was getting to that, idiot,” Magnolia scowled. Luckily, she seemed to disregard the violation - at least, Lily thought.

Magnolia pulled out a stack of papers, which made Lily blink. How long had she been holding onto them for? They hadn’t noticed. She slid them over the table to Lily, who took a good hard look. Four papers, four different ways to set tables ranging from informal to fancy business gathering. The last paper seemed to be a list of rules? Written in a very demanding way. Probably by their Mistress, then.

“Always give the better, larger, tastier part of the dish to your Owner,” they read. “Only eat after your Owner tells you to, and finish before they do. Sitting at a table is a privilege. Expect to be eating on the floor like a dog if you misbehave. Any spots left uncleared are grounds for punishment. Present food as you would present yourself.” What did that one mean? And the list of rules went on - there must have been at least thirty. There was no way Magnolia could expect them to memorize any of this, right? And I’m still asking questions...

Magnolia cleared her throat. “Table-setting. We will start practicing today,” she declared. “I’ll go easy on you. After all, I can only expect you to carry so much knowledge. Maybe you’ll even find a few brain cells you missed to make the connections? Having more than two would be useful.” Lily squirmed in their seat, their legs clasping together. They nodded their head shallowly.

Their Mistress stood up, and Lily tried to follow, but she grabbed their hair and forced them to remain sitting. “No. You’ll learn, over and over, that you’re lesser than me. You’ve been obedient, no one can dispute that. But now, with each passing day, you’re going to know proper service like the back of your hand,” she smirked, “or like that stupid game you enjoy.”

Lily nodded, forcing their stupid mind to not jump to memorized combo strings or something dumb like that. They had to pay attention. Their eyes darted between hers and the pages she indicated, filled with rules about the arrangement of silverware they’d never even known existed. "Your first round setting these tables, you'll be able to look at these sheets. Then, you'll work from memory. Memory and, well..."

Magnolia pulled something off of her belt - something that made Lily's eyes bulge. A cane. The worst, most painful, most striking item in her massive toy collection. One of three custom canes their Mistress had ordered, and the most painful of the bunch.

"My direction," she whispered, stroking the cane lightly with her other hand.

Lily sat in the chair, terrified, as their Mistress approached them. Their instinct was to stand. But, before they could, Magnolia lightly pressed the cane to their shoulder to keep them seated. Lily couldn't lie, even that light tap hurt more than it should have. That had to be conditioned, right? "But don't worry. I'm sure you can remember everything after the first try. Right, plaything?"

"I-"

"Right, plaything?"

Lily gulped and stammered. Ah, another one of those always-fail situations. Magnolia loved those. Lily didn't. "I-I'll try, Mis-"

"It’s a yes or no question, plaything."

Lily paused, shrinking in their seat. Magnolia kept the cane firmly planted against their shoulder. Obviously the answer was no. They wouldn't be able to remember such complex instructions. And Magnolia knew that. But Lily couldn't say no to their Mistress, could they? Either way, they were going to lose in this challenge. That might well be the point - Magnolia seemed particularly punish-happy that day.

"Yes, Mistress."

"And you're not lying to me, are you?"

"No, Mistress." They were lying. They were definitely lying. They just wanted to procrastinate on getting punished.

"Great," Magnolia smiled far too sweetly. She knew. She definitely knew. "The first paper is informal table setting. You know where everything is. You have two minutes."

Lily winced. They were being timed, too? This seemed excessive, even for Magnolia. "Two minutes?" they asked before they realized they’d spoken.

Magnolia paused. And pondered. They’d questioned her. Of course they did. "You're right," she said. "That's too much time. One and a half."

"I-"

"Now."

Lily didn't waste a second. The plates were most important - they were setting for two people, right? That meant just a large plate for each. They thought. There was something about chargers, but what did that have to do with tables? Their heart was pounding, and they kept glancing back to the pages. Why was this so stressful? Lily tried to shut out the confusion, and put what felt right on the table. But even this first set, the simplest one, felt wrong in a way they couldn’t explain. But somehow, that panic kept them going, instead of holding them back.

That wouldn’t have always been the case.

As they set the plates down, they looked at the sheet again. Oh. It was two plates. Three? Oh! That’s what the charger was.

Lily suppressed a groan and grabbed the second set of smaller plates, and the wider glass ones. Okay. So. Utensils. That was just a fork, a spoon, and a knife, right?

They swung open the drawer.

The empty drawer.

Lily turned to Magnolia, who just smiled innocently. "It's fifty-two seconds now," she said. "In case you were curious."

“T-thank you, Mistress,” they stammered. They frantically opened drawers, but there was nothing. She’d gone so far as to hide things? They were supposed to fail. That had to be it. They could hear the time ticking in their head. It reminded them of the pocket watch, but it wasn’t nearly as comforting.

Eventually, they found them in the drawer beneath the microwave, beneath a piece of cloth. The utensils were set in something weird and velvety, but they didn’t have time to dwell. Without wasting another second, they grabbed a fork, a spoon, and a knife for the table.

“Thirty,” Magnolia called out.

The stress of the timer made the task even more challenging. And Lily was only on the basic steps. They rushed to set the table neatly. They kept gazing back at the instructions, making sure everything looked perfect. Did a fork go on the left or the right? How was a napkin supposed to be folded? It mattered what direction you placed it in?

It took time. Magnolia beginning to count down from ten didn't help. But with less than two seconds to spare, the table looked like the example. They thought. Lily stepped back, turned to their Mistress, and tried to hide their heavy breathing. It was absurd. Doing a full rep of push ups in perfect form was no problem for them. But table setting, of all things, was enough to make them pant.

Magnolia stood up and inspected the table, the same way she would a slice of meat. Or a work of art? Either way, Lily couldn't tell if she was pleased or not. "Adequate work, plaything," she finally said.

"Thank you, Mistress," Lily responded, bowing their head slightly. Internally, they let out a sigh of relief.

"There's only one problem," Magnolia continued, and the tension came right back. She walked around, behind them, moving past the point Lily could maintain eye contact. Her hands grabbed their body - gently, at first - just to keep them in place.

And then she clutched their head and slammed it into the table. It didn’t hurt too much, probably to protect their brain, but it still hurt, and the suddenness didn’t help.

"You looked so nervous," she mused, "so tense. So stressed out. Why?"

They... they were asked a question. They needed to answer. "The... timer made it hard, Mistress," they managed. The wood of the table dulled their voice a bit.

"Really?" Magnolia played with their hair as she kept their head planted. "But you were serving me. Doing what I told you to do. Isn't that supposed to feel good, plaything?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"So did this make you feel good?"

Lily paused, wincing. "Not particularly, Mistress."

"Interesting." She pressed their face down further. "Three months isn't a lot of time, plaything. And I don't like losing. So it wouldn't be good if being trained felt terrible. But," her voice turned more twisted, “on the other hand, there is something nice about watching you suffer."

"Mhmm," Lily murmured into the table. There was something nice about Mistress Magnolia making them suffer.

"So I think," she continued, "conditioning you in a new way will help. Making this feel good to you. And that’s just a delightful thought, you pathetically begging for training. Do you want to know what I'm thinking?"

A smile cracked across Lily's lips. "Yes, Mistress."

"Too bad."

Lily couldn’t say they were surprised. Magnolia leaned further in, her body crushing Lily's.

"Drop, my lovely, loyal Lily."

And Lily's body gave in. Their body loosened, and only Magnolia’s hand on their head kept them from slumping off the table. Their consciousness stepped away, enveloped in mist. Their mind took a break from thinking. Their inner truth opened, their subconscious bared, willing, accepting of any commands or suggestions.

Trance.

Distantly, a part of Lily knew that. A small part of them that understood what was happening.

A part that eagerly submitted anyway.

If Magnolia wanted to make Lily into something, anything she wanted, it was only those four words away.

They drifted off into that bliss. Magnolia lightly petted their hair with one hand, her grip remaining firm with the other. She leaned in, and spoke into their ear. "You're a good servant, Lily. A good plaything. That's why I chose you, and kept you as mine all these years. We're moving into this next stage because you're ready for this. But you still have all this anxiety and uncertainty and fear..."

She paused, pressing Lily's head harder. "Well, I can't fault you for that last one. You've every right to be afraid - it won't stop me, but you're right to be, in case that helps at all."

Lily murmured something, but even they weren’t sure what. "Shhh," Magnolia quieted them, "you don't have to think, or speak, or do anything but listen.”

Then she grinned. "You see, all this anxiety piling in you... it wouldn't do to have a servant who feels like that serving me, would it? Even if you know you'll be punished mercilessly if you slip up, worrying about the punishments won't make them go away."

Magnolia pulled out a chair and sat down, shifting her grip to Lily’s body and pulling their limp, brainless figure in against her as she continued to talk. "I want you to envision yourself doing this exact task you just did. Imagine every second of it. How it felt, physically, mentally, emotionally. Imagine what you did. The sound of the room. The pressure of time. How the plates felt against your hand. All this, and how frightened you were..." Lily shuddered.

"I want you to keep most of that in your head... but let the fear wash away." She trailed her hand down their body, stroking each bit lightly, tantalizingly. "There’s no reason to be afraid. You’re doing what you’re told, after all. You'll remain aware of your surroundings, of course. Whatever task is at hand, what you're doing, none of that will go away... but all of your anxieties, your horror, the way you could hardly even breathe deeply enough, you don’t need that here.”

She paused for a moment, then continued. "It's like... putting on a set of goggles." Idly, she traced the shape of glasses around Lily's eyes. "My beautiful, lovely, loyal servant, performing on... autopilot. If you feel anything, you feel the pleasure of serving me. If you know anything, you know the purpose of your life is being my thrall. If you do anything, you do each and every task perfectly without a hair out of place. All you need is perfect service, Lily. All you need is perfect service. Your mind isn't good for much else, after all. It doesn't really need to think about anything except serving me. No worry about punishments, or threats, not when you’re obeying. You won't even really be thinking. Your heart will be soaring, thinking of how good it feels to improve for me, how loyal you are, how you exist for me and only me. As for the threat, as for fear... you'll know that if you are punished, you'll deserve it, and it will only serve to make you a better thrall. And all of this, this way of being... when I say the words ‘take off’, you’ll slip into being that perfect tool for me. And when I say ‘land’, you will return. Take off... into nothing but excellent service. Landing... back into a state where you won't need autopilot to serve me correctly.

"But to truly drill it through your thick skull..." The hand that wasn’t holding them to her side began to trace the exterior of their panties. "When you finish a task, and know that it is done to perfection - whether you know that yourself or I tell you - you'll get a rush of pleasure. The kind that starts in your sex and wracks your entire body, filling each limb, making you shake and shiver and squirm... for just long enough that you're able to get back to service a second later. That's a gift, Lily, a gift I'm kind enough to give you.

"However, I know what that kind of pleasure does - it overrides logic. Rational thought. Training. So, your mind will accept an additional, new function: if your mind wanders out of service for more than three seconds..."

She paused. Lily's mind hung, patiently waiting for as long as their Mistress needed to think. Mindlessly, they were squirming in place, in need, heat, pressure, but none of that mattered. "You remember that time I whipped your back ten times with this very cane, don't you?"

Lily shivered.

"Nod if you remember."

They nodded, their head tilting a little unevenly.

"Good," Magnolia smiled. "That's what you'll feel. Each additional second your mind wanders, adding another strike. I wonder what that will be like, Lily. To have your body and your mind fight against one another. One wanting pleasure, the other wanting the pain to stop..."

Lily whimpered, gasping lightly. "I can't wait to see it. It’s going to be quite the training tool.”

Magnolia felt Lily up and down, keeping them deep in trance even as the sensations of their body tried to rouse them awake. “Now,” Lily heard some shuffling, a vaguely familiar paper bag opening. “I’m sure you were curious about the bracelet I asked you to buy today. I assure you I had a good reason.”

She lightly stroked Lily’s hair. “As much as I would love to have you serve me to perfection all the time, we both know that isn’t realistic. And even if it were, I want to have you as you are sometimes - ditzy, silly, all smiles.” Lily felt their right hand being lifted onto the table. Magnolia stroked it lightly, then clasped something around their wrist. The bracelet fit perfectly snug. “Consider this gorgeous, lovely bracelet an extension of your collar. When you wear this bracelet, you’ll be expected to perform as my high-protocol servant to perfection. Of course, there’ll be training to ensure that’s the case. You’ll learn never to question me, and to expect fitting punishments... and rewards. And don’t worry, I have plenty of more tools at my disposal to brainwash you, ones you wouldn’t even be able to think up in that silly little head of yours. But when you’re wearing this bracelet, you will strive to be perfect in every single way. You will vow to never put your needs above mine, even in the most dire situations, unless your life would be in danger.”

Even in the most dire situations, Lily’s mind repeated to itself. The safety was expected, appreciated, and filed away.

“But when it’s off...”

The collar-bracelet unclasped, and Magnolia put it neatly on the table. “You’ll be able to breathe, just a little more. Of course, we aren’t equals. We never were, and we never will be. And I know you wouldn’t have it any other way. But without this bracelet on, you won’t be expected to perform at such a high level. You’ll perform as you - wonderful, stupid you.”

Lily couldn’t help but giggle as their Mistress kissed their forehead.

“One more thing,” the bracelet clasped around Lily’s wrist again. Already, their mind changed, molding to its Mistress’s - Owner’s? - direction. “Only I will be able to take this bracelet off. Just like with your collar, I hold the key to it. When it’s on, you won’t even know how to take it off. And when it’s off, well, I’m sure your mind can put that together.” Magnolia stroked the bracelet - and Lily’s skin - tenderly. “I simply need to tell you to give me your hand. You’ll know that’s an order you can never disobey, no matter what. I control the level of protocol you live by, Lily. I control everything.”

“Mistress controls everything,” Lily murmured back sleepily, barely able to stop themself. Not wanting to, either.

“You’re right!” she cooed. “I do control everything. You, your life, every second you spend. You’re such a quick learner. Maybe I won’t need to punish you as much as I thought!” She chuckled. “When I wake you up, you’re going to get up on your feet, functioning as my perfect servant. On autopilot. Feeling the pleasure from serving, but not allowing it to distract you. I want you to be perfect. So you will be perfect. Understood?”

“Yes, Mistress,” Lily murmured.

Magnolia inhaled. “Waking up, as I count. Five... four...” Lily slowly began stirring, rising into a new form of obedience they hadn’t known five, ten, fifteen minutes ago, but one that was their world. “Three, two, one–” snap, “awake, and on your feet.”

Lily, as tired as their muscles felt, felt refreshed and in control - relatively speaking - when they awoke. The new instructions just... clicked. Wow, the power of hypnosis is incredible. “Thank you for assisting me, Mistress,” they smiled. “What may I do next for you?”

Magnolia shuffled through the papers on the table, handing them the next most complex set of instructions. “Set the table as such. You have four minutes, this time.”

“Of course, Mistress.” Deep down, Lily had a nagging fear that they wouldn’t be able to complete such a new, tough assignment in a rushed amount of time. But it wasn’t their choice. It was an order. And orders were meant to be obeyed. 

It didn’t hurt that they knew where the silverware was now either.

So Lily looked through the paper as Magnolia started the timer, eyeing each and every detail. It was a strange experience for them. Normally, their mind was slow, though it seemed to do well enough with other people. But something like this... it didn’t come naturally. Memorization, patterns, calm under pressure... it didn’t come naturally. It hadn’t come naturally. At least, not until now.

Lily didn't finish the second of instructions with seconds to spare. Hardly. They had minutes. Whereas in the last round they could barely remember three individual parts of the instructions at once, now their memory felt seamless. How did that even work? How could hypnosis give them a photographic... wait, it wasn’t just images. What was the word? Eidetic? How could it give them an eidetic memory? Lily didn't even think that was possible for them. After how stupid they'd been all their life, plus the small tweaks and nudges over the past five years to keep them a dumb, happy plaything?

Magnolia was magic. That was the only way to explain it.

Lily firmly set the last cup in place. Magnolia stopped the timer and moved to see the result. Lily stood silently, one hand clasped in front of the other, perfect posture. They couldn't budge. They didn't want to.

"Perfect," Magnolia grinned. "I knew that would give you the rush you needed, my dedicated toy."

Lily smiled. "Thank you, Mis-" They didn’t even finish the title before a rush of pleasure hit them. Oh. The exact kind Magnolia also hypnotized into them. They were a good servant. They were good at service, and at obedience. And obedience is... pleasure...

Lily's knees clasped together, and their breathing turned shallow. Magnolia smirked as if she didn't know exactly what was going on. "What's wrong, Lily? All I told you was that you did a good job." Another rush of pleasure, and it nearly made them fall down. Their hands clenched in front of their waist. It would be so easy to just slide them under and begin...

"Very well, let's move on," Magnolia snapped her fingers, and their world snapped into stark clarity. Oh, that isn’t fair! "The last set of rules is the most important one, assuming you wish to  make a good impression on my colleagues and friends. After all, we're of a higher class, aren't we? So it's only fitting we have the table set best."

"Yes, Mistress."

"Clear the table, and re-set it to these instructions. You have five minutes."

Lily nodded again. "Yes, Mistress." Yes, Mistress. Yes, Mistress. Yes, Mistress, answering just like a machine. A dedicated pilot letting its plane do the work for them. A dedicated thrall letting its body do the work for them.

Lily effortlessly cleared off the plates, cups, and silverware - neatly placing them back in their respective spaces. Task one done. Once they turned to the table to see it clear, realizing they had finished even a part of a task faithfully-

Fuck, they swore, as the rush of pleasure burned through their whole body. This third rush was nearly impossible to fight off. Walking felt impossible. The pleasure seemed determined to pull Lily out of their deep haze.

Maybe just a little wouldn't hurt... Instinctively, their hand began wandering, even as they eyed the cabinets searching for the proper plates. It would feel... so nice...

"Get back here."

Lily jolted in surprise, their body whipping around. Magnolia's expression hadn't been nearly as cross just a minute ago. "You got distracted, didn't you?"

Lily stammered. "Yes, Mistress. I'm very sorry, I will-"

"I said get your stupid ass back here."

Lily suppressed a gulp and walked back over. They had a sinking feeling that they knew what was coming, and it was only confirmed when Magnolia pulled the dreaded cane off her belt and pointed it towards the table. "Take off your top and bend over."

Lily's voice wavered. "Yes, Mistress." Even something as simple as taking off their shirt, at their Mistress' command, was scintillating to them. The pleasure began trickling in, filling their body, just until-

SMACK

"Aaah!" Lily gasped out. They hadn’t expected it to hurt that much. Magnolia slammed the cane against their back, and for a moment they worried she was trying to break bone. Their body collapsed into the table, and pain was their whole world, driving out the pleasure. A proper punishment, they thought. Where had that thought come from?

She lashed them again. And again. Sometimes in the same spot a couple times, then focusing her ministrations elsewhere. Lily couldn't see their back whilst bent over, but they knew it would be bruised. Every strike of the cane drowned out a bit more of the pleasure they had felt, yet, more importantly, it intensified that satisfying feeling of service. Obedience. Not a feeling they could focus hard on through the refined wood slamming against their back repeatedly, but a feeling all the same.

And then the lashes stopped. But Magnolia kept Lily bent down, and kneeled on top of them. "Tell me, plaything," she spoke softly, the cane pressed to Lily's shoulder. "Am I punishing you too hard?"

A question. Always answer a question honestly. Even that could mean the difference between pain or solace. "A little, Mistress," Lily whimpered. All semblance of pleasure had melted out of them, leaving them only with the emotional satisfaction of service. And pain, lots of pain.

"Thank you for the honest answer, Lily. I always appreciate the feedback."

Lily shouldn't have expected it to be the end of it. Another, much more vicious strike went across their ass.

"I'll make it worse, then."

Before delivering any additional strikes, Magnolia roughly pulled down their panties and underwear. She struck them repeatedly, each one harsher than the last, and Lily couldn’t help but tear up.

"Remember this, Lily," Magnolia said threateningly, "when you serve me, that is your primary goal. Serving me. Not pleasuring yourself. And when you feel yourself losing that certainty, this pain will be exactly what you feel. Do you understand?"

Lily wasn't quite sure they were speaking, but they think they managed "yes, Mistress, I understand."

Magnolia didn't stop, though. Their mind went blank again, a canvas of pain she was furiously painting. Occasionally, Magnolia would pause, giving the pain time to seep in. And just enough to give Lily time to think, to hope that maybe it was over. Except, it wasn't. She kept lashing, and lashing, and lashing.

Until she had enough.

"I think fifty should be enough to remind you." Finally, thank god, she let up with the cane. But Lily peeked, and winced. She was holding it firmly. Just in case. "Get yourself back together, and finish setting up the table."

"Yes, Mistress," Lily gasped out, their voice hoarse and tense. They put their clothes back on and stood up shakily.

"Oh, and you have three minutes now, in case you were curious."

Lily’s fear spiked, but they gave in and let the feeling of obedience lead them through. "Thank you very much, Mistress."

Magnolia smiled at the thanks. Being thanked for punishing Lily so harshly, at that. And with that, Lily set the table in a flash. Every inkling of luscious, satisfying obedience they felt was immediately met with the lashes. The strikes. Their Mistress' disapproval. Physically feeling those things on their back, their ass, their body, was enough to keep them moving through the process. In a rush, but not disorganized in the slightest.

The process was a little tougher, this time. Balancing autopilot, the pleasure of serving, and the searing pain of distraction. But those three things, hand in hand with one another as naturally as if they were one, eventually brought the table to completion. Magnolia eyed it, tapping down the cane threateningly, before she answered. "Fifteen seconds left," she said with disapproval, "but perfectly done."

That pleasure began to overtake them, even as they felt the strikes against them. "Thank you, Mistress," they whimpered.

"Your job isn't done yet," she said. "Go make dinner. I have some calls I need to attend to. Have everything ready by six."

An order was an order. A pilot was on autopilot. "Yes, Mistress."

~~

There had been instructions in the papers for this. An appetizer, an entree, a dessert, and mocktails for the both of them. Most of them Lily didn't know how to make. Well, all of them, in truth. They knew lasagna, but not a recipe as complicated as the one Magnolia gave them. (Eggplants? Did they even know how to properly cook eggplants?) Lily had tried mocktail mixing for their Mistress in the past... their problem was usually overshaking, not undershaking.

But with every direction they followed, pleasure, pain, obedience, autopilot. Eventually, they got used to that cycle. The reward of pleasure, only for the pain to instantly set them back on track. Their back straightened, their service focused, determined not to bother or disrupt their Mistress' day. That was all they needed.

For a while, they were confused why Magnolia wanted this. Now, they were beginning to understand. Serving with this level of diligence, perfection, with little to no wiggle room... it made Lily proud. It gave them the affirmation they needed, that this was where they belonged.

They were happy.

Everything was fine.

As the dishes baked up in the oven, seared over the stove, or chilled in the fridge, Lily glanced over at the instructions their Mistress gave them. Not for table setting, but for dining in general.

After the past couple hours, they got the impression they were going to be able to work from memory.

That was okay, though. Having a good memory when their Mistress allowed it was... reassuring. Sure. To Lily, nothing was more fun than being a dumb, ditzy idiot. But perfect service gave them its own pleasure.

Pleasure.

Pain.

Redirection.

They set the table as the dishes finished. Deep in their heart, they prayed that it’d turn out well. Fifty lashes with the worst cane they’d ever felt to the back was awful enough. Who knew what else their Mistress would have in store for them? She said it herself - she was experienced.

"An experienced Domme is a creative one," she had once said. "With no creativity, you're nothing more than some imbecile disguised as a wannabe dominant."

Lily giggled at the memory.

Hmm. Maybe that was why she had wanted them to pursue some kind of creativity. Lily glanced over to the walls for a brief second. Over the past five years, their painting skills had grown to what Jenn claimed was near expert level. Almost as good as theirs, even. Though they always stressed the ‘almost’. Magnolia even framed a good portion of their works in the house.

"Why pay for art anymore when I have my own fine artist in my possession?" Magnolia once asked, after framing a new favorite painting of hers. "I should push you in new directions," she’d mused as she did so. "Make you more well rounded."

Pain.

Redirection.

Lily refocused back to finishing their dishes, plating them as elegantly as they knew how - the instructions hadn’t specified, so they had to rely on cooking show knowledge - and setting the table just as their Mistress wished.

Lily's hand clasped over the bracelet, and they eyed the finished table.

Pleasure. Pleasure that wasn’t redirected. They had completed their task to perfection. So... the pain didn't jump in, quite yet. They sat at one of the chairs, still on autopilot, picking up their fork, and-

Their hand was gripped firmly, and they almost jumped. "Dinner's made, yes," Magnolia chided, "but what about all those other rules you were supposed to memorize?"

Lily paled. Even more as their memory - and it felt weird for their memory to be good - brought up some of the most basic rules. First of all, they weren't allowed to sit until given permission - and they weren't given permission, were they?

And second of all, not to start eating before their Mistress.

But they were so, so hungry, and famished, that they forgot... "I-I'm very sorry, Mistress-" they mumbled as they put their fork down. "I was very hungry, and I, um-"

They winced at phantom pain on their back. "Your hunger isn't an excuse for disobedience, now," Magnolia growled. "I was going to allow you to sit... but lets forgo that. Bring your meal to the ground, kneel next to me, and don't make any crumbs at all. And I might forgive you."

Lily nodded. "Yes, Mistress."

They were about to grab their plate, but Magnolia stopped them again.

"And you never get the best portions."

Lily looked down. They took the smaller portions, didn't they? There wasn’t even much difference...

At their confusion, Magnolia just smiled. "You were fine on that one," she chuckled. "I just like scaring you."

Lily giggled nervously. Oh. Good. They hadn’t messed everything up. "O-of course, Mistress."

Lily ate - as best they could, on their knees, bent over - in almost complete silence. No speaking unless spoken to. Just silence. Their bites were as quiet as they could make them, but they made sure to eat quickly so as not to delay her. The rules they'd memorized hung around in their head, and they mentally went through them like flashcards.

They were startled out of their reverie by their Mistress' hand, which began to pet their head slowly, softly. "You're so good," she whispered. "So obedient."

Lily's legs clenched together as that obedience is pleasure feeling took over once more. "T-thank you, Mistress."

"All you have to do is clean everything up. That's your last task for this routine. Isn't that nice? Being able to serve me so perfectly?" She clutched Lily's hair, making them wince in pain and squirm in arousal. "Isn't it nice of me that I made you this way?"

"Y-yes, it was very nice, Mistress..." Lily tried to stifle their moans, tried to hide the way their knees began to shake against the floor. Their body felt like it was anticipating something. But what? Their Mistress hadn't promised any kind of reward, yet their body burned with such passionate need. Their brain had convinced them that a reward was coming. That had to be it. Release. That's what they needed, right? Their body yearned for it, so much so that the pleasure had begun to work against the instinctive pain they felt on their back.

As they whimpered and moaned, Magnolia pretending not to notice, they finished their food. They knew she wouldn’t give them that until everything was done, so they steadied their knees with their hands and tried their damndest not to let their arousal show. They knew they were failing. After all, their sex physically hurt, as if it had been edged repeatedly for two hours. Physically, it might not have been, but that didn’t seem to matter. Their body felt weak from the rushes of overwhelming pleasure and the subsequent rushes of severe pain all the same.

It took all their effort not to move their hand under their pants, their body was begging them so hard. It physically hurt not to pleasure themself.

"I'm done," Magnolia announced, breaking them out of their aroused fugue. "Bring everything to the sink and wash it."

"Yes, Mistress." Lily shakily got onto their feet, steadying themselves before bringing their empty dishes along with them. Finishing before their Mistress wasn't that arduous of a task. They were famished, after all. They balanced their plates and cups, and began adding on their Mistress' dishes. Lily was strong, yes, but balancing dishes like that was beyond them. But they had to clean up. They kept adding on plates, cups, utensils, and slowly, the tower threatened to tumble over.

But the sink wasn't so far away...

Before Lily could move, Magnolia latched her hand to Lily's waist and brought them back in. It took an inhuman effort to keep the plates from falling, but somehow they managed it.

"So obedient, docile, tame," she whispered. Every affirmation only made the pleasure ten times as unbearable, and the pain a hundred times so. As if balancing the plates wasn't a struggle enough... "You were made to obey, Lily. That's why you're here. Because obedience is pleasure. Repeat it."

"Obedience is pleasure," Lily whimpered, beginning to repeat the mantra. Their new set of suggestions played across the words, intensifying and enhancing. Every syllable was a wave of arousal and a shock of pain. Magnolia let them go, and they nearly tumbled over, and had to use their chin to get another point of leverage to save the dishes. Slowly, as steadily as possible, they brought them to the sink while repeating the mantra. Don't stop until you're told, they reminded themself.

They placed everything in the sink, and between the words ‘is’ and ‘pleasure’, they sighed in relief. Continuing to mutter the phrase, they turned on the faucet, dutifully washing everything off. There was a dishwasher, but the instructions had mentioned this was part of the task.

"Obedience is pleasure," they kept repeating. They hadn't even noticed their Mistress approaching them from behind, until she wrapped her arms around them.

"Obedience is pleasure," she whispered into their ear, repeating it along with them. Lily buckled under the assault. The pleasure, the pain, every second tormented them more and more.

"You're so obedient, but god, you're such a useless slut at the same time." The words hit Lily like a physical blow. Lily continued washing the dishes, trying to focus on that, not to let the distraction punish them. "Of course you can't do anything but obey. Look at you. You're turned on just by me telling you how good and obedient you are. I bet you'd like it if I just bent you over the sink and fucked you mercilessly, wouldn't you?"

Lily wasn't sure whether to respond to that or not. Was yes the right answer, or did no mean they wanted it? "I... I..." Yes. Yes. Yes. Even if they didn’t know which answer she wanted, they knew that they wanted that.

Magnolia laughed behind them, mocking them as she began sliding down their soaked undergarments. "That's a yes, Lily. I know it is. And even if you said no, what would you do about it? You can't resist me. You can't resist obeying. You can't resist just being a service slut, a fucktoy, a fleshlight that happens to have limbs and maybe a brain. Or at the least, something resembling one."

"Y...yes..." Lily moaned. They could barely focus on washing the dishes well.

Magnolia grabbed them by the throat and pulled them back. "I didn't tell you to stop, did I?"

"No, Mistress," Lily whimpered. They didn't know what to focus on. Their brain, their body, everything was being pulled in a million different directions. The haze of arousal was so all-encompassing that they barely noticed their Mistress sliding into them until she was almost in to the hilt. Lily couldn’t help but huff and pant over the sink. It was a miracle they continued standing, and even more of one that they somehow managed to keep washing the dishes anyway.

Their focus threatened to waver, but it didn't. Instead, even as their conscious mind was drowned in arousal, they kept moving. Their Mistress wanted to pull them out of autopilot. Lily wanted her to, as well, deep down. But they couldn't stop obeying. As they felt themself get fucked mercilessly, they continued serving, obeying, doing as their Mistress wanted: being a perfectly fitted hole while also doing her bidding.

"Repeat your mantra," she ordered with a growl.

"Obedience... is... pleasure..." Lily repeated, then groaned out its counterpart. “Pleasure... is... obedience...” The dishes are nearly done... so close... Obedience is pleasure. Pleasure is obedience. Obedience is pleasure. Pleasure is obedience. Obedience is pleasure. Every part of them knew that fact like they knew the sun would rise in the morning. The repetition became littered with pants, gasps, and moans as their Mistress sped up, but they kept moving.

Soon enough, the dishes shone sparkly clean, despite Magnolia’s best efforts. But their Mistress wasn't done fucking them. Lily just stayed bent over the sink as they were used like a toy. Repeating the mantra. Focusing on obedience. On pleasure. On obedience. One fed into the other, and they had long since stopped trying to keep track of where the line was.

Lily was close to exploding, and the sudden addition of their Mistress's fingers on their clit made that worse. Their brain was shutting down, even in this blissed out trancy state. Was that because the task was done? They didn’t care. They wanted to climax. They wanted pain. They wanted this.

Soon, their Mistress came with a grunt, filling them with warmth. They felt that climax with every vein, every limb, and every cell in their body. But Lily couldn't cum. They didn't have permission, despite how much their poor body screamed for it.

"You want to finish too, don't you?" their Mistress asked breathily. She kept fucking them. Lily had no idea how.

"Y-yes, Mistress," Lily whimpered.

"But I haven't given you permission. And you don't want to disobey, do you?"

"N-no, Mistress."

Their Mistress grinned, and slowly pulled out of them. "Well, today's your lucky day." Lily's body almost explosively tensed, anticipating what was to come. "You might get to cum tomorrow."

And then she pulled back her fingers and pulled their clothing back up. Lily couldn’t take it. They collapsed, Magnolia’s cum dripping into their panties, utterly defeated.

They wanted to keep pleasuring themself.

They couldn't, as much as their body begged for them to.

Their Mistress whispered a single word into their ear. "Land."

Suddenly, all that fog was stripped away, and they felt like they’d just come back to their body after dissociating, hard. Pain, pleasure, desperate need, all of that was still there, but it felt... different. Distant, maybe.

For now, they could relax. Lily collapsed, but their Mistress caught them before they could hit the ground.

"Let's go lay down," she sighed. "My wonderful, obedient thrall."

~~

"We'll practice this daily, along with every single new routine I teach you. You'll get used to it, quickly, I promise."

Lily murmured something assentive, still lost in dreamy post-scene bliss. They were allowed to drift in that now. The bracelet was off. Their job was still to serve Magnolia whenever and however she wanted, obviously... but not as focused and diligently as a few minutes ago. They leaned their head into her warm chest, breathing slowly, deeply, mindfully, until their mind coalesced into something like functionality. "I can't wait, Mistress," they murmured.

"Me neither," Magnolia stroked their hair. "Watching you serve me, and allowing me to set you in your place, is so wonderful. Thinking about showing you off to everyone..." she kissed the top of Lily's head, ruffling their hair. "You're going to make me so proud, plaything."

Lily giggled, snuggling closer to their Mistress. They were tired, from the scene, from the sheer joy, from everything. Good tired. They started to slip off, comfortable and safe in her loving arms.

Magnolia's phone went off, ruining the effect. Lily stirred briefly, then was forced to quickly get their bearings as Magnolia sat up to grab her phone, unintentionally forcing them away from her. Lily's stern taskmaster sat up in her bed, eyeing the number.

"Who is it?" Lily asked with a hint of concern. Magnolia’s posture was stiff.

"I don't know," Magnolia said, her tone serious. "But it's from around my hometown."

Lily frowned. That could be innocent, but it could also be terrible. They had no way to know. "Are you... going to answer it?"

Magnolia sighed. "I might as well."

She picked up. Lily stayed still out of instinct, but Magnolia pulled them back in tightly. She was using them like a stress ball.

"Yes, this is Mrs. Anderson," she said. "And you are?” Another pause, this one longer, and her face hardened. “Yes.”

Lily wanted to listen in, but they couldn’t hear the other person, just their Mistress’s side.

"I see," Magnolia responded. "That's very unfortunate."

More silence. Magnolia's hand moved to clasp onto Lily's. "How has he been referring to me?"

A pause.

"I see," Magnolia's tone sharpened. Lily knew what that meant, and their heart broke just for a moment. "Then no, I will not be visiting or contacting him."

Lily looked away. They had a feeling they knew what this conversation was.

"Yes, I'm serious," Magnolia affirmed. "Do not attempt to contact me again. Goodbye."

And then she hung up.

And promptly laid back down.

"My father is in hospice care," she said. "I'm guessing even you could figure out that much from what I said. Or at least the general idea."

"I'm so sorry, Mistress." They didn’t know what else to say.

Magnolia shrugged. "Good riddance, I suppose. They've only contacted me to ask for money since they kicked me out. I can't say I'm particularly sad."

Lily moved in closer. "But it still... doesn't feel right?"

Magnolia glanced over at them. "No," she sighed. "It doesn't."

"Do you want to talk any more about it?"

Magnolia chuckled, and returned her attention to her dedicated servant. Her partner. Her lover. Lily tried not to preen under the attention. That wasn’t what she needed. "Not particularly," she said. "Maybe later."

"Okay, Mistress," Lily said. They knew sleep was close, but kept themselves awake, even as tired as they were. Their Mistress needed them.

“I had a question,” Magnolia murmured. “Completely unrelated.”

“Mm?” Lily responded sleepily. Their eyes could barely stay open. They weren’t quite sure what Magnolia was about to ask, but-

“You said your father left when you were young.” That sure wasn’t the subject Lily expected. “Do you know anything else about him?”

They paused. In the fog of subspace and exhaustion, they were having trouble figuring out why she would be asking. But... “He died shortly after he left,” Lily said quietly. “My mom would laugh about it. That’s all I know.”

Magnolia hummed. “Every time I think I know everything about your delightfully fucked up biological family, you manage to surprise me.” Lily chuckled softly. They figured that would be the end of the conversation, but it wasn’t. Magnolia kept going. “How did your dad die?”

“Mm,” Lily stirred. “Why are-” No. No questions. Never question Mistress. Even if it was an annoying topic they didn’t want to touch with a ten foot pole. “He had cancer, I think.”

“I’m so sorry,” Magnolia responded.

“Yeah,” Lily’s voice dropped, to a nearly inaudible whisper. “It was his fourth time, I guess. Going to happen eventually.”

It wasn’t particularly a subject Lily cared to think about, but a question from Mistress was just that. They tried to keep the recall to a minimum, knowing the dark truths that part of their life held, but some images stirred in. Hospital images. Overhearing conversations with doctors. Knowing the difference between good news and bad news, solely by tone of voice.

Kassandra, physically feeling her hand on their shoulder. Stabilizing them.

And-

“His fourth?” Magnolia repeated. “That’s unusual.”

Lily wanted to ask something like, ‘is it?’ or ‘why?’, but they weren’t sure if those phrases qualified as questioning her. So they stayed silent and let their Mistress continue.

“Did he have a condition or something?”

Lily squinted their eyes, and looked upwards, trying to remember.

“I’m sorry, Mistress, I don’t understand.”

Technically that was kind of a question, but Magnolia seemed to not mind in that instance. “Some people have disorders that predispose them to cancer. Or other diseases. Such things are genetic or environmental, usually. And before you ask, I only know about this because...” she paused, “I knew someone in school studying to be a genetic counselor. I don’t know anything beyond the basics.”

Lily closed their eyes. If they weren’t too tired to stay awake before, they sure didn’t want to remain conscious any longer now. They hoped the irritation wouldn’t show in their voice. “I... I remember something like that,” they murmured. “I don’t remember the name, though.”

Magnolia paused. When she spoke again, it was slow, careful, measured, and very deliberate. “Have you ever gotten tested?”

Lily paused. “What do you mean, tested–” They clapped their hand over their mouth. “I’m so sorry, Mis-”

“Forgiven,” she interrupted them. “The bracelet isn’t on, after all. I mean a test for whatever he had. Have you gotten it? Or... any sort of testing, come to think of it, for genetic conditions?”

Lily still didn’t follow. Their mind and body were too tired, and even more so from this topic. They were trying, but every word was more draining than the last. “No, I don’t think so,” they answered.

Magnolia’s hand, previously curling Lily’s hair in her fingers, stopped. Lily’s emotions roiled in a storm of anxiety and unease. But they stayed quiet, as much as their mind wanted to ask something - anything.

“That’s something you need to do,” Magnolia said. That was a bad news tone.

“Um-”

“You can ask questions about this, Lily.”

Oh thank fuck. “Why?”

“Because it might be genetic, idiot.” Magnolia paused, then grimaced. That was tantamount to an apology from her. “That means it can get passed down from parent to child. And even if it isn’t, environmental factors could have been the same...” Her face tightened.

Okay. Now Lily’s brain was beginning to put together the pieces, though they really didn’t like the picture they made. “I...” their voice grew quiet. “I’m sorry. I don’t know if that’s... something I want to know about.”

“It’s something you need to know about!”

Silence hung between the two of them. Sleep was forgotten now, in the wake of dread and panic. It felt like how it did before Kassandra would come out, protecting them with fire and brimstone. But she was silent. She had been for years. Lily sometimes wondered how she was doing. Their relationship had been bad, but it had mended, and now she was quiet.

I don’t want to know.

“Are you going to make me?” Lily asked softly. They knew, in the end, whether they were going to or not wasn’t their decision. But this wasn’t a kind of suffering Lily enjoyed. This was deeper, more serious. Of course, Magnolia owned them and their life and everything about it. But...

Magnolia finally answered.

“No,” she said firmly. “I’ll leave that to your decision.”

Lily blinked. “Really?”

“Yes,” she said. After a painful pause, she added, “please just let me know when you’re ready.”

Please.

That was a word Lily heard from their Mistress once in a blue moon, if that. When she asked something of Lily, she demanded it. She didn’t need to resort to niceties and politeness. She had no need for those, because they were hers. So to have her say please... for something important...

Something feels off.

“I will,” Lily said quietly.

“Okay. Get some rest,” Magnolia ordered.

“Yes, Mistress.”

That was an order Lily wanted to follow. It would have been easy to, just minutes before. But their mind wouldn’t shut down, swirling with questions and uncertainties.

Please. That word hung, ominous and strange, in their mind.

Lily cracked open an eye, looking over at their Mistress.

She’s so beautiful. They admired her whenever she allowed them to. Truth be told, Lily wasn’t sure if she was asleep or not, she was so still either way. So gorgeous.

Under her firm control, they were nothing but a thrall. Their life had no other purpose than to serve. They wanted nothing more. Being given choice on anything was a rarity, let alone for something this important.

Please don’t let my life change, Lily thought as they closed their eyes again. Please.