Lily had slept well, somehow, after the harrowing night they'd had. The siren song of a warm bed and comfy clothing... they didn't think it should have outweighed falling asleep paranoid and in tears. But they'd slept disturbingly well. And all that for less sleep than they usually got, too — it was just before dawn.

But they couldn't let themselves just take a moment to be comfortable. Their predicament was one they had to escape, and the absolute best time to do so was now, at the crack of dawn — too late for night owls and too early for morning birds, a rule born of hard experience. They’d been in enough shitty living situations to be able to give a whole presentation on how to sneak out of them. Kassandra was quiet. Was she still waking up? She did that sometimes, but sometimes she would be the one urging Lily awake, and this situation felt like the kind of thing where she should have been right there, already glaring impatiently at them. Maybe she'd tired herself out? Or she was just still mad about one of their famously bad decisions.

Truth be told, Lily couldn’t blame her for being mad about this one.

All for a moment out of a torrential downpour.

Lily would have more time to hate themself later. For now, though, they had one mission and one mission only: Escape. Everything else came after.

“Everything else” would begin with finding one of their clothing stashes — comfortable as the pajamas were, they didn't leave much to the imagination. More like lingerie than actual clothing. They'd probably need to scour the ground for spare change to get new underwear. The pair Mistress had taken was the last one they'd had without holes. Then they’d find a motel, or an Internet cafe, or something and take a quick shower. Then back to the endless, fruitless grind of job applications for a while. But all that came after getting the fuck out.

As Lily swung their legs off the bed to stand up, they mulled over that train of thought. Something felt wrong about it, but it seemed to make sense in their head. Stash, place to shower, the grind... All they had to do was get away. They peeked to make sure the hallway was clear, then started to run as quietly as they could, retracing their steps from the night before. Everything would be fine as long as they could get away from her. 

Magnolia, Lily mouthed Mistress's name, then froze briefly. Why were they calling their Mistress their Mistress? Well, she'd claimed them, hadn't she? And she'd been kind, and done exactly what she promised. Why escape? She hadn't pushed them that far, right? Offered a room, let them sleep...

Why were they making excuses for her? / Why are you making excuses for her?

Their faithful defender, ten minutes late. And that's supposed to be my fault? Who else's?

Not this hallway, she suddenly snapped. It runs in front of what looked like a maid's room. Could be Josey's, and she was not on our side. They shifted, changing direction without a response. At least she'd decided to work with Lily.

Why were you making excuses for her?

They blinked at the topic change. “I don't know,” they murmured. The thought patterns felt... too familiar. Easy to fall into, deadly for them... You're thinking of her like another of your abusive girlfriends. Sorry, I meant girlfriends. And so what if they had bad taste?!

But those weren't one-night things. No sweeping gestures, no love-bombing... ugh. Later. Door.

Lily had been running on autopilot. They started most days running, after all. It was second nature. But now, standing in front of the closed door they'd stood in front of last night, it all came crashing into them. Could they really do this? Escape?

It felt as though Kassandra had whirled to face them, despite her not being in their mind's eye. Are you actually backing down now?!

Mistress surely had clothing. They wouldn't have to worry about food, or a place to sleep. Were they ready to throw that chance away? Escape wasn't freedom, it was just a less comfortable set of chains, wasn't it?

Lily stared at the door.

And stared.

Their body didn't move. Their hand didn't reach for the door. Mistress wouldn't want them to escape, would she? Why did they care what she wanted? Why would they ever not?

Fucking move, Lily! she shouted, and startled, they did, putting their hand on the doorknob, turning, and...

It was locked? By what?! There was no keyhole! No keyhole you can see! Fuck! Is she that paranoid she'd plan for her fucking victims knowing how to pick locks?!

There were no windows in this hallway. Upstairs, then. They ran up the stairs, judging the fall. It was too high, and glass shards were awful to deal with anyway. They could hear Kassandra shouting something, but Mistress wouldn't want them to listen, but they had to escape, even and especially if they didn't want to, even if they weren't listening. They ran, sheltering their head with their arms, they had to make it out, even if they started

to

slow

down?

“Going somewhere, my dear little mouse?” said a voice which was the world.

Lily? Why did you stop?! Why are you just standing there?! Lily?!

A face came into vision, framing crimson eyes that were the only thing that was real. “Oh? You're still thinking? Fascinating. The voice is different, but clearly this... Lily has listened properly... what had they called you? Kassandra? What manner of spirit are you, bright thing?”

... you can hear me?

“You have made no effort to keep quiet,” the world smirked.

Neither have you, vampire. (That has to be what she is, right?)

“I take it you have not dealt with many of my kind, then, bright thing? Else you'd be much more certain.”

Your kind? Bright thing? The hell do you think I am, lady? I'm not some parasite, which is more than you can say! This body's as much mine as theirs!

The world stilled, eyes slowly filling with delight. “You mean to say you are... a delusion? A fractured identity?”

Fuck you?! Fucking, google plurality, this isn't my job to explain?!

“Goo... Never mind that,” everything murmured. “You aren't a spirit laying claim to this mortal? You are... part of this mortal?”

Oh, hell.

“Quite! Though you, for reasons I know not, are not my thrall... That matters not, no? My compulsion still holds Lily in place, then, and so suffices.”

Can I take my answer back? I'm a spirit?

“Tell her no, pet,” the world demanded, and Lily began anew so they could obey.

“Well, obviously you're not a spirit, Kassandra. Why would you lie to Mistress like that?” they frowned, meeting their Mistress's gaze. “Why… am I not worried that I'm calling you that anymore?”

“I desired you not to be.”

It was more than that, though. They could tell. Under that gaze, which trapped their heart in an icy prison, they felt... right. Complete.

And that couldn't be correct. They had never felt right for a moment before in their life.

Their Mistress smiled, and Lily's hackles rose. “So... can I go?” they ventured.

“Why would you want to?”

And... oh. They didn't want to.

They heard something indistinct. Kassandra? But Mistress didn't want them to listen, and whatever it was just seemed to make her smile grow.

They couldn't hear Kassandra. That... should have terrified them, they thought. She had taken that too.

Okay.

It was strange, to be calm in what should have felt like a crisis. Even more alien than feeling right had been. But it let them think, something which Kassandra was surely calling a rarity right now.

“She has not stopped insulting us both. I find it rather cute,” Mistress murmured. “Oh, she did not like that.”

“Mistress, may I hear her again?” They didn't even want to, insofar as they could want right now, but the sudden silence they'd wished for so many times felt worse than the insults had.

“You can... hear us both anyway, can't you?” they asked.

“Hm. Calm acceptance befits you not. You are far cuter panicking as you serve.”

Those words pierced through their chest, ice flooding from their heart. For a moment, nothing else changed.

And then they remembered how to be afraid.

…

…

…

“Done screaming?” the voice of Mistress, fuck, Mistress, fuck, they couldn't think of her as anything else, taunted them.

“F-fuck you,” they sputtered cutely. Wait, that was what they meant to say. Why was—

“Yes, I think this is much better,” Mistress said brightly. “Even the crudest compulsion sends your feeble mind in adorable circles. You barely have the will to exist, let alone resist. Truly, though it was a whim, thralldom suits you.” Red eyes met their own. “Kneel.”

They wouldn't just kneel because she said so—

But they found their body complying all the same.

“Present.” And they did, moving with a surety that was the furthest thing from what Lily felt, interpreting that word as though it were a paragraph of instructions. Hands came up to cup their chest, to play with it and tease what was barely hidden and accentuated by the lingerie already. Their mouth smiled, even as their eyes widened in fear.

“Yes, that is the way of things. You learn well, given... proper instruction. A toy should be ready for use, should it not?”

“A-a whim,” they muttered, trying not to think about that. “If that's all this is, why not just — just make me forget? You can probably do that, right? Let me go, but I keep your secrets.”

“Was a whim. Perhaps, if you were merely a poor dancer I played with for a night, I would have considered it. But, as dear bright Kassandra is realizing, she has made things... interesting.”

“Why won't you let me hear her?” they asked.

“I wish to watch you both squirm, why else? Futile rage and numbing panic are heady to feel as it is, but you... you feel both. And your mind is so loud! You and your other half scream so much at each other that I can feel your thoughts beating in my still chest, clearer than any enthrallment I've ever felt,” Mistress breathed, sounding almost crazed. “Crazed? Perhaps,” she mused. “No less than yourself, then? I am not the one with another voice in my mind.” Technically— “I— will admit that,” she muttered.

She seemed to ponder that, then smiled cruelly, and Lily's heart froze in a way that felt nothing like meeting her eyes.

“Well, it wouldn't be fair to keep that all to myself, would it, Kassandra?”

—using me as a weapon to hurt them?! I protect them, you mind-rapist bitch! And where do you get off blaming me for being interesting when we're the fucking victims! You're more insane than we ever could be! And we're not insane! If you had the basic decency to fucking educate yourself—

Lily reeled, caught in Kassandra's full-force wrath without any time to brace for it. Like before, her rage was fiery, burning through them and melting the ice of Mistress's authority into something painful beyond words. Every beat of their heart was agony, their head felt like it was going to explode, and—

Silence.

“And that is why you will not hear her.”

“O-oh,” they stuttered.

“Oh, you poor fool... You still think I am doing this, what, to torment you?” Mistress chuckled. “What was it you had thought? Never right, not for a moment? You ought to be thanking me. I promised mere accommodations for your service, but I weep to see such a sorry thing as you. I will make you glorious.”

And as they kneeled there numbly, face smiling blankly, hands still playing with their chest without their conscious control...

They wondered what glory felt like.

-

After a time they genuinely could not discern the length of, Mistress seemed to grow bored of watching them. It could have been minutes or an hour, and Lily wouldn't have known the difference.

“Ah. She has finally gone silent, then. Out of insults, bright thing?” She laughed. “No, clearly not. But I see you are accepting the way of things now. And yes, bright thing, I do. It truly is a delight to watch.”

Confusion brought Lily a little closer to the surface from their dissociative haze. What was Mistress responding to...? Oh, right. Kassandra. Even the thought of her and her defiance sent a liquid ripple through the ice, and they winced.

Mistress couldn't be fought. Not if it meant pain like that. They closed their eyes tightly, wishing that Kassandra would please just stop.

To their shock, the pain eased. Kassandra... giving up? That didn't feel right, but they were too hazy to interrogate that feeling.

“Finally, you both see how things shall be,” Mistress purred. “A fast learner as always, given the right touch.”

Did they? They knew that they were going to be hers, but what did that mean? Dancing? Dancing lessons? For a sex pet? Why?

“A sex pet? That alone would be such a waste for such an interesting thing as you, Lily,” she murmured. “I wish you to be my thrall. My servant, my adjutant, my follower, my pet, my slave, my partner, and everything else besides. And, yes, I suppose, my sex pet as well. Why settle for anything less than making perfection out of you?”

“And you want a partner who doesn't love you?” Lily found themself asking before they could think better of it.

Mistress huffed. “You will have time to learn better. Perhaps by then, you might even have learned to guard your tongue? It has far more pleasant uses than asking foolish questions.”

The innuendo barely fazed them at this point. Just one more thing onto the pile.

“Josey!” Mistress commanded, and this time Lily could hear something in the words they couldn't before. And somehow, they could tell it wasn't aimed at them.

“I would think the fact that it is not your name I called would be clue enough,” Mistress chuckled. “Oh, what a delightful fool you are.”

And with that statement, barely five seconds after she spoke, footsteps sounded behind Lily. They turned their head, meeting her eyes, and finding scorn. What had they done? Exist?

“Yes, Miss?” she asked, no sign of that scorn in her voice.

“Take these ones to a shower.” Her nose wrinkled. “They stink of sweat and fear. Make their appearance acceptable, give them a new gown, and bring them to me in the ballroom. I wish to waste no time in beginning their education.”

“As you wish, Miss,” the maid curtseyed. She turned to Lily, eyes boring into them. “Let's go.”

With nothing else to do, they let her pull them back to that dressing room. 

The numbness would help them deal with the dress, at least.

~~~

Lily hissed as the cold water hit them, directly onto their chest. “Ow, ow, ow,” Lily murmured at Josey, wincing in pain. “I get that I have to shower, b-but why does it have to be freezing cold?!” Never mind why they had to be naked in front of anyone again, but at this point that was a bridge crossed and burned.

“Because it wakes you up,” Josey responded flatly.

“I am awake!” Lily protested.

“No, you aren’t. Your body is still stiff all over, and you're moving sluggishly. If you’re going to be the thrall of the Mistress, you will need to be flexible, nimble, and ready for anything. Besides, it feels better to shower cold than hot when you’re all sweaty.”

Lily flushed. “W-why would I get all sweaty…?”

Josey responded by turning up the water pressure, and they cried in pain again, shutting their eyes against it. The water flow was fine! What was that for?

“I know you don't need me to spell out the obvious answer. But really, the other reason should be clear too.” She was right on the first count. Lily didn’t need it spelled out. The threat was clear. “But vampire culture has had a deep relationship with dance — as a demonstration of elegance and self-control, you understand — for longer than there have been kings, and to participate in that culture is to have an image to maintain. It simply wouldn’t do for your... musk to ruin the Mistress’s lofty position.”

They could ignore the insult. They probably did stink, honestly. “R-really? That’s… surprising. Uh, about the dance stuff, I meant.”

“You'd think that,” Josey chuckled dryly. “But vampires are susceptible to sunburn so severe it does permanent harm. Unable to go out in the sun, what were they to do? Dancing provided both socialization and an opportunity for power games. And dancing with a thrall demonstrates more than just social strength — the strength to hold oneself back to match a partner, to not hurt a less sturdy mortal, and the ability to train a thrall well.”

“...Huh,” Lily nodded blankly, having barely processed half of that, before shivering violently as Josey tilted the showerhead to wash off their collarbones and neck. “Are — are you a vampire too? Or her thrall? Or did you just, uh, get a PhD in vampires? Is that a thing?”

Josey’s hand briefly faltered, but continued before Lily could do more than note it. “No. I'm neither a vampire or a thrall. You could say I'm an academic, though. A mixture of observing and assisting with the dances hosted here, going down various academic and historical rabbit holes, and lectures the Mistress has given me to fill in the gaps.”

“Not a... you work for her by choice,” Lily's mouth moved without warning, their voice coming out low. They froze, before realizing — they couldn't hear Kassandra's thoughts. In the silence, they'd almost forgotten she was still there. The reminder sent a shiver through the ice in their veins that had nothing to do with the shower.

“Of course,” she scoffed. “She pays well.”

“She's claiming Lily as a sex slave, and you only care that she pays well?” Kassandra growled.

They were turned around, and even that was done by Kassandra, leaving Lily just a passenger. “Hardly, but...” Josey trailed off, even as she continued to point the showerhead down their body. “Hm,” she finally said. “Interesting.”

“Whatever,” Kassandra muttered, and then presumably left, because that thrumming pain faded and Lily could control their body again. “Uh...” Lily tried to continue, but they weren't sure what to say, and Josey didn't seem to want to speak further.

The rest of the miserable shower was spent in silence, with no more conversation to distract them from the nightmare that was their life now. At least it was a free shower. Were it not for being naked in front of a stranger and having their skin half-frozen off, it might even have been nice.

~~~

Lily was still shivering when they were led onto the ballroom floor. For some reason, they’d been allowed underwear this time, and the dress they were in wasn't as extravagant — a simple white dress with a petticoat underneath — but it wasn't any less clearly feminine, or any less uncomfortable. 

Mistress looked at them expectantly, her eyes already on the door before Lily was led through it. After Josey curtsied and stepped back with a “it is done, Mistress Magnolia,” Mistress just pointed to the floor in front of her, as if speaking to Lily was beneath her.

Well, they were beneath her now, weren't they?

That thought earned Lily a slight smile from Mistress, which just made them shiver harder.

Lily cast a nervous glance at Josey, but the maid didn't do more than meet their eyes. Clearly they weren’t getting help from her. So, hesitantly, they just walked to Mistress.

She didn’t wait for them to fully close the distance. Between one blink and the next, she was there, holding their shoulders, appraising them. Despite the speed, Lily had barely felt her hands land on them.

Lily didn't try to look away. Magnolia grabbed their chin anyway, keeping their gaze on her. “Never avert your gaze from me. As my thrall, you will have the right to be lost in my power.”

“I-I’m sorry,” Lily said meekly.

SLAP

Lily couldn't hold back a whimper. The slap was harsh, not quite as bad as the previous night, but it still set their world ablaze for a moment. Were their body not being held up by Mistress, they wouldn't still be standing.

“I’m sorry, what?” she asked, eyebrow raised.

Huh? What did Mistress mean— oh.

“I’m sorry, Mistress,” they repeated softly.

“I thought you were a fast learner,” Mistress tutted. “But you will need more of a guiding hand than I thought. Now, listen carefully, and do not speak, understood? I can hear you well enough as it is.”

Lily heard a sharp inhale from the entrance to the ballroom, where Josey had lingered. What was that about? But that didn't matter. If they didn't respond quickly, didn't learn fast, they'd be in for worse than that slap.

The words felt like sandpaper, but they forced them out. “Yes, Mistress.”

Mistress cleared her throat, bringing Lily as close as possible to her as she did. It would have been intimate, if Lily had felt more like a person and less like a ragdoll. Still, they could feel their heart beat against her chest. They couldn't feel if she had one, or if it was just faint.

“Does your heart even beat?” Kassandra asked quietly. Lily felt like they would have jumped out of their skin, if they could control their body.

“Showing an interest, Kassandra.” Their body bristled at that. “It does, though far more slowly and more powerfully, if you wish to know. But that order was meant for both of you. If you must speak to Lily, they may hear.” ... Hey there, she thought at them, and they did jump that time. “Indeed. I will forgive you that once. But no more delays. Your body is excellently maintained. A good beginning, though much work is yet to do to make you suitable as my thrall. It will not be easy.”

Lily opened their mouth to ask why, if they were only a good beginning, she was spending the effort? But they were spoken over before they could get a word out.

“I see potential there, and you both are fascinating besides, even if you do forget your place. I'll have to train that out of you,” she tsked. Why were they allowed to disobey, if they'd just be punished for it? “Just so — to be punished. A thrall must match their master, not just follow them. A mindless servant is easy to acquire. A true thrall is better, familiar enough to know what is needed before being asked. If ordered, they will serve without question. That kind of devotion must be trained, not merely compelled.”

Lily's stomach dropped at that proclamation, but Mistress gave them no time to contemplate it.

“Later this week, we will be traveling across the country to another ball. The hosts are very good friends of mine, so you will need to make at least a good showing for them. Especially if someone wished to borrow you for a bit.”

Lily blinked. Borrow? What did Mistress mean, borrow?

Magnolia chuckled. “You refer to me properly quickly, I see. And yes, trading partners is common practice. To be tested as my partner, be it on the dance floor or in more base ways, is part of your role.”

She didn’t have to spell it out — the implication was clear. Gods, I hope not, Kassandra hissed.

“It is more than likely. I am well respected, you see, though my lack of a thrall has always raised eyebrows. They will wish to test the one I have chosen, to ensure you are... up to the task.” Magnolia smirked. Was it derision, the knowledge they were so pathetic they'd fail? Or was she enjoying forcing them into being a party favor? She didn't give them an answer.

If Mistress cared about Lily’s fear of that eventuality, she didn’t show it. Instead, she pulled a slim pocket watch from her chest pocket. She opened it and scowled. “Having me explain myself will cost you, you should be aware. You will be ready for the ball, regardless of any delays you create. I will ensure you perform beautifully this time, if need be.” The word carried no specific command, but their veins chilled all the same, both at her power and at the implication.

While they were still reeling from that, Mistress's gaze unfocused. “Josey,” she breathed, a single resonant word, sweeping past them, before her eyes locked back on Lily. And seconds later, a squawk of static was followed by classical music from some hidden audio system.

Oh, Kassandra breathed. So that...

“To begin,” Magnolia said, her name slipping in place of her title, “Your dance partner is to be referred to as Mistress, Master, or whatever term they offer. While dancing with another, I am to be referred to as Mistress Magnolia, or as your Lady. And you will give your dancing partner your full attention. Spine straight, eyes on theirs. Anything else will not be tolerated, and will be corrected.”

They tried to straighten up, and managed to raise their eyes to their Mistress's chin. But her expression said that would clearly not be good enough.

Magnolia sighed, spinning around, leaving them to stand there waiting for her, still struggling to stand straighter. She walked out of their vision, and returned holding a long wooden rod. To... help them stand straight somehow?

She walked behind Lily without a word.

The first strike came by complete surprise, and they couldn't help but scream at the blazing welt the cane left. Their focus shattered, and they fell to the floor.

“W-why did you—”

“Another welt. You were ordered not to speak. And I am here, your dance partner — it is not Magnolia, it is Mistress, even without my guiding hand on your thoughts. Incomplete submission is just as unacceptable as none at all.”

Lily didn't have time to think of a response before the cane struck again, and it felt like it had split their back open. A hoarse scream tore its way out of their throat, tears already spilling down their face.

And then she struck again. Lily saw white. They could swear they felt blood dripping from the wound. Why? Hadn't Ma-Mistress... only said two?

“The third is for your pathetic attempts to look ahead and stand up. Let that pain teach you, if I somehow can’t.”

Lily could barely register what Mistress was saying, or that she was speaking at all, but something in them heard anyway. Their weeping turned into sobbing. But their torment wouldn’t end. They knew that. 

“It is only torment to one who will not learn, just as it can end. Would you want me to puppet your body myself, as I did the night before?” 

That hadn't even been their dancing? 

“No, though you took to my will well. I will compel you to do it perfectly, should I be asked. That way, you can learn by example.” 

That. That please, they couldn't handle this— 

“Ah, but not by you, Lily. If Kassandra asks, I will do so.”

Silence for a moment. Then, a quiet thought, smoldering with painful intensity. I will never ask you for that.

Mistress tsked, grabbing a bunch of Lily’s hair and pulling them up to their feet by it. “So be it,” she snapped, releasing them to stumble. The pain from the welts felt so much sharper while standing. Before they could slump over again, Mistress pointed the cane under Lily’s chin, forcefully lifting their face up to meet her eyes. 

Fixing Lily’s posture was next, and Mag-Mistress decided to do so by grabbing and groping their chest, and pushing it towards their back with her unnatural strength. They gasped in pain at the unbearable force, somehow applied just precisely enough to avoid injury. Standing up so straight felt completely unnatural, and put attention on their breasts, which were already bothering them because of the dress.

Finally, Magnolia let them go. It took every fiber of Lily’s being to stay in that position. Tears continued to pour. “There. Better.”

Magnolia slammed the tip of the cane to the floor. “I’ll be using this for any corrections, as Kassandra has refused my offer. Understood?”

Lily choked and sobbed, nodding desperately that yes, they understood. Apparently that was not the right answer — the cane struck again, her other arm holding them up by their hair so they wouldn't crumple. 

“When asked if you understand, you are to respond always! Understood?”

“Y-yes, Mistress!” Lily shrieked. Finally, mercifully, Magnolia let them go.

By then, the first piece had come to a close. Surely it was only minutes, but it felt like the whole day had gone by. Were they supposed to do this all day? With the cane always ready? They wouldn't make it. Kassandra, please... No, Lily, a mental sigh responded, and they wept harder. 

Even with another person in their body and another less than an inch away, Lily had never felt so alone.

“Do you remember how to do a basic box step? I did one with you yesterday.”

Lily remembered, sure enough. The image of gliding one foot to another, with supernatural grace that had surely been Magnolia's will. Of getting so lost in thought that they got punished. “Yes, Mistress.”

“Good. Start with that. We’ll just do that for this next piece.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

They never thought they’d get used to saying those words. But what had started as a panicking refrain felt more and more right every time they said it. That's what she was to them, now. Why would they call her anything else?

Another tap to the shoulder, this one mercifully light, brought their attention back as the next piece of music began. “Three, two, one,” Mistress counted down, and Lily began.

It felt so… weird. But their body felt so light. It was like something bubbled deep inside them, threatening to overflow and wash them away. It didn't feel like when Mistress spoke in that way that made the world pause, though. It felt more... serene. It helped that the music had a nice, soothing rhythm, and a light metronome clicked from somewhere to help Lily stay on beat. Their hands hung in front of them to keep them balanced, given how unaccustomed they were to the posture. 

The cane, thankfully, didn’t hit them again. At least not for that dance. Eventually, the notes bled into the next piece, and. Lily paused, assuming they should stop. Clearly that was the wrong assumption, with the cane striking their back again. Message received, Mistress. 

They stepped. They glided and connected one foot's movement to another. What made them grow out of breath wasn’t necessarily the movement itself. They pushed themself harder than that when running. But holding their back straight, looking fixatedly ahead, strained them in new ways they couldn't handle.

The second piece of music finished. Then the third. Lily had no idea how many they’d danced through by the end of it. But they didn’t stop, fearing that cane if they faltered. They danced. They danced. They danced. And, strangely, the more they danced, the more natural it felt. It was something they might be able to find fun. Something to lose themself in. A simple reprieve.

“But why would you want to escape me?” a voice asked, intruding on that fragile moment of peace. Mistress's hands followed, wrapping around their back, and their breath caught in their throat.

“Do not let me stop you,” she cooed. Those words sounded sugary sweet, but the implied order was clear, as was the punishment. So they continued, trying to block the feeling of her hands out so they could keep moving. So they could look ahead. So they could stand straight.

She danced with them from behind, matching their steps. Was she... training them? Adjusting their poise? Just trying to distract them? Was this some bizarre part of dance training?

Her hands began to drift. Oh no. Lily focused ahead. She wasn’t there. She wasn’t there. She wasn’t there–

“I am here, plaything.”

Even in their thoughts, they couldn’t escape. Magnolia’s hands trailed upwards, lightly groping their chest. Lily felt tears beading at the corner of their eyes.

Suddenly, the obsession – for the followers, at least – with dance began to make sense. If they just focused on it hard enough, they could forget everything else. Forget what they were now. Forget what they lost.

“Oh, Lily, why are you crying?” Mistress whispered into their ear. “All of this is right. You deserve this, thrall. I know what's best.”

Lily couldn’t speak, but they had to respond. She was wrong, but a horrible part of them kept thinking she was right. This was what they deserved. They were so, so sorry.

Why are you apologizing?

“She is right. You don’t need to apologize, plaything.” Lily felt Kassandra bristle at that.

Suddenly, Magnolia gripped their chest tighter, pulling their body closer to her.

“You are allowed to break. You are encouraged to break. You will cry, and I will drink your tears, because they are the dross you shed in becoming perfect for me. Cry yourself to sleep if you must, but know you are being made better for it.”

Lily couldn't process that. That was a perspective beyond just fucked up. The perspective of someone who believed, truly, that they were the only voice that mattered. Somehow, that made their eyes stop tearing up. Distantly, they could still feel their body dancing, but their head was disconnected from the rest of their body, only a thin strand of thought connecting them.

“I just told you that you are allowed to cry, but you stop? Tell me why, plaything.”

They stared at her blankly.

“Tell me. I know your mind, but I wish to hear what you believe your reason is.”

Normally, they would censor or filter their words, if asked something like that. But even if she hadn't forbidden it in the order, what was the point? She knew everything they tried to hide, and her words reached into their lungs and pulled the answer out regardless. 

“You’re sick, Mistress.”

They regretted it instantly. Mistress's hand tensed.

“Say that again.”

“You’re sick, Mistress.”

Once again, Lily spoke before being able to stop themself. They were her puppet, even if she didn't use the power she had over them. They danced for her, even as they cried and called her sick. They didn’t stop obeying her, even with their insult. They allowed her to violate their body. They couldn't resist. That wasn't something they could imagine. And, strangely, a part of them felt comforted by that. It was bewildering, and yes – sickening.

If she was sick, they were sick, too. Was there even a cure for this kind of illness?

“What a question that is,” Mistress mused. “I believe I would argue that there need be no cure. If you wish to serve, buried as it might be, let me cultivate that. There is nothing wrong with surrender, though I would like for you to put up more of a fight, yes? The process of making a thrall is a thing of transformation — of alchemy of identity, as some have put it. And to undergo alchemy, something must be broken down, destroyed so that it can be made grand. You will learn to love the gold I will make of you, pet.”

Her speech, while horrifying, was oddly soothing at the same time. There was nothing wrong with them? They could choose to give in, and it would be okay?

The silence in their mind startled them.

“But,” Mistress's tone darkened, “to get there, I shall need to perform that destruction myself. Get on your hands and knees.”

What did she mean—

“That was not a suggestion. Do so,” she snapped.

Once again, Lily was frozen. Why wasn't she forcing them? It was already clear they couldn't resist if she didn't want them to. To... destroy them? What did that even mean? The question barely had occurred to them before they heard the cane’s swoosh, and the pain. 

Oh, the pain.

The strikes came fast and hard, one after another. They couldn't hold back the tears any longer.

Lily wanted to run, to recoil, to curl into a ball - anything to curb the pain even a little. But they couldn’t. They had to stay in that position, taking their punishment, letting themself be destroyed.

Suddenly, the strikes ended. Lily didn't even register it at first — the pain was too great to give much focus to any new wounds. But as soon as they realized it, they started to beg.

“Please, stop,” they murmured, growing louder with each syllable. “I'll obey. I'll obey you. I'll do it. I'll do whatever you ask, just please, stop—”

“I did set the terms,” Magnolia chided, striking them again. “Unless the bright thing can make up its mind, there will be no reprieve. Pain is a harsh teacher, but a teacher all the same, and I will visit it upon you as I please. So, bright one, what will it be?”

Nothing. Silence from within. They could feel her there, but she refused to speak. Why, Kassandra? This could all be over...

“Ah, another thing. You were not to speak, except to acknowledge. You were to think of me as is proper, not by my name alone. Or did you think I would not notice? Those, too, deserve punishment.” And down again the cane went.

They didn’t know how much time passed after that. But eventually, Mistress had enough. Nothing she had done had served to counter their assertion of sickness, but her point was made all the same. And, without acknowledgment, Mistress gestured, and the lessons continued.

Soft classical didn't fit at all, they thought.

~~

After hours of dancing, Lily was barely on their feet. Maybe if they hadn't been beaten down, literally, they could have kept going. But the only thing that kept them moving was the knowledge that they could do nothing else but continue.

Abruptly, Mistress moved out of the pattern, grabbing their hand and stretching her arm out. Lily followed, leaning into a dip, barely even conscious of it. Mistress grabbed their waist and lifted them up, and they could only stare.

Then words eclipsed their will again.

“Take off that dress.”

Kassandra screamed, and the sound was an unbearable pain, one they couldn't hear which they were thankful for. It would get in the way, after all, and they had to obey properly, or else that cane would come down again, and nothing mattered more than avoiding that.

As if from a distance, they reached for the hem of their dress and tore it off, petticoat and all. They didn't know how to get out of it any other way, and they had to obey. Now half-naked in front of their Mistress, surrounded by shreds of fabric, Lily swayed, still going, still standing.

Eventually, she pulled away. Lily stumbled, but they had to remain standing, and they had to keep going. Like a marionette, they returned to the box step now that they weren't being held, moving by rote. Some part of them was thankful the dress was gone. At least they didn't look feminine.

“So beautiful. So pretty.”

And they weren't even allowed to have that. No, they were beautiful and pretty. They knew that beyond doubt, the sweet words in their soul had told them so, and that sweetness was like a poisoned knife cutting them apart.

Through the pain, within and outside, they danced.

When the music ended, it flowed into the next one without pause. But before they could continue, Mistress grabbed their arm.

“Well done. You can perform the basics, even under duress. If it is your second nature, you shall be able to adapt, to follow a changing dance. But I want more than just one who will not stumble. A box step is barely a dance alone, and you will not be dancing alone regardless. So.” She finished her statement by attaching the cane to her belt, and taking Lily's hands in hers.

Their hands were moved for them, guided, and they followed. “Place your hand over here… and your other one here, holding mine.”

The pose they had been moved into put Lily’s right hand on top of Mistress's, holding it in a claw grip, while their left hand rested on her hip. They couldn't help but chuckle drunkenly at that. It was intimate, somehow, this impossible woman's will was so much more beautiful than any sex they'd had before. They flushed, watching her, her eyes, red pools that Lily was already lost in, and they kept their back straight.

It hurt, yes. But so did everything. They had to keep going regardless.

Magnolia lifted an eyebrow. “It’s that hard for you to stand straight, is it?”

It was, but it wasn't. They had to keep going.

“No, actually, I believe that is my own lapse. I should be commending you for maintaining an uncomfortable posture for so long. The caning besides,” she chuckled. “You are doing excellently. Perfection is far away, but I can see the shape of it.”

They were glad that someone could see value in them.

“Good. Then we shall continue.”

On cue, when the music changed, Lily moved easily back into their box step. Doing this for hours hurt, but it truly was becoming muscle memory.

“Next, I will demonstrate turns as we walk around the floor. You’ll stay to the beat and within the box step, but you’ll be tilting your feet, like this…”

~~~

Hours passed. Lily wasn’t given a single break, other than brief pauses to drink water. The muscle pain and the stinging from the caning had disappeared, for them, long forgotten. They hurt, yes, but everything hurt, and that was just a drop in the ocean.

There weren’t any clocks within sight, nor were there many windows that weren't covered, but what little light was allowed in had made it clear the sun had already set. Collapse had felt inevitable for what felt like forever now, but not having that option somehow made things easier.

Until they were given that option.

“We’ll stop there for today. You may relax for now.”

Lily’s legs stopped working, as if their bones had suddenly vanished. They fell to the floor, but they found it very difficult to care.

Mistress looked at her pocket watch again. “Hm. There remains some time before dinner. I suppose we will fit some more training in.”

They didn't move. Couldn't, more accurately. Didn't want to, didn't know how to. But they tried to shift, to obey, because that was what they were supposed to do.

“What are you doing?” Mistress asked with what seemed like genuine confusion. “Stay on the ground. I didn’t tell you to move.”

Lily sagged, momentum interrupted. What did she mean? They couldn't dance like that.

“And you are more than a dancer. You are everything else besides.”

“N-no. No, no, no,” Lily's mouth said, but their body was so tired that Kassandra couldn't even muster the strength for anger.

“Take off your remaining clothing. Not by tearing it off, though. You created enough waste as it is.”

“Wh–” But before Kassandra could get out a word of protest, their hands acted for them. They just obeyed mindlessly once again, even when Kassandra held their body in her power. That wasn't something they had done. They had never been able to move when she held them back, not without wrestling away control first. Was their obedience so much more powerful than their own choices?

“Show me the thrall I am to have. Show me what you can do beyond the following of steps.”

“Like hel– W-w-what do you mean, Mistress?”

“The bright thing knows it, and I know you do as well. Empty foolishness suits you, but not when it is an act.”

She was right. They knew.

“Show me how you pleasure yourself. I wish to learn.”

They obeyed. They took no movement, following the order perfectly.

Mistress didn’t reply to that for a long time. She just looked at their body, eyeing it up and down a few times.

“That is a travesty, and one that should be corrected,” she finally replied. “We can begin now. Touch yourself.”

“I…” Lily wanted, so desperately, to retort, but their body had already complied. They hadn't lied. Sex wasn't a pleasure for them. But they did know how.

Their body rebelled, Kassandra seemingly pushing for all her might against this, but Lily would obey, and they shut her painful defiance out themself.

Mistress licked her lips.

Lily’s heart was pounding, but they didn't feel a thing. It roared in their chest, shaking like an earthquake, and they knew none of it. Slowly, they pushed one finger, and then two, into their cunt, looking up with tired eyes that were leaking tears. Mistress was a sight to behold from down there, above them in her triumph.

“So much better. And quite lovely, you know. Your face is flush to burning, and your body obeys like you were born to this. It’s hard to imagine that you could break more. But you can. And you will. I must have something to reforge, after all.”

Lily couldn’t think of a way to respond to that. But they didn’t need to. Their body struggled against them, dredging up strength they weren't aware they still had, and a cry cut across their muddled thoughts.

“NO!” 

Kassandra shrieked that single word, and with that, they collapsed, spent. They didn't even have the energy to realize she'd yelled that out loud.

The music continued, but Mistress was deafeningly silent. Kassandra seemed to have vanished as fast as she appeared, and Lily was left with the aftermath.

“I-I’m sorry, M-Mistress,” they mumbled, not fully sure what for.

But Magnolia's eyes fixed upon their own, and that red pulled at them, inescapable.

“No?” she asked, cold as death. “I offered you a choice, you foolish ember. Do you wish for me to follow through?”

Silence.

“No, then. So, she wished for it to stop?”

Lily couldn’t respond, drained as they were, but Mistress didn't need words to hear their faint desperation.

“Well, I suppose that is it, then.”

Numb confusion was all they could muster.

Magnolia scoffed. “She wanted this to stop, as do you, correct? So we shall stop. You will spend the rest of the day in your room, recovering, and knowing your place. You will be given sustenance, but not a meal. And you will dance when the sun rises, no matter how you feel, no matter how much pain you will be in. The bright one has made its position clear. There will be no offer of reprieve.”

Lily didn't understand.

“Hopeless. Then I will spell it out. I won’t give you orders. No compulsion will move your body. No order beyond this will be given. You will retreat, and you will feel my presence, and know you are mine. On the morrow, you will dance. You will dance, or you will suffer. Those are your two options. You will not hide from me within yourself. Should you try, I will drag you back to your place beneath me. Perhaps if you do well, I might consider kindness.”

Lily still didn’t understand. Why did that sound worse? Why was the idea of dancing of their own will, even at threat of pain, more daunting?

“A part of you knows the answer,” Mistress chastised them. “Do not insult me or yourself by pretending you are duller than you already are. You called us both sick, Lily. So by your understanding, this is your sickness. And I do this for my own.”

Sickness. They were sick. They couldn't help it.

“An unfortunate path to go down,” Mistress murmured. “You will learn better. I will not allow a thrall of mine to believe that.”

She walked away, leaving Lily completely alone with that. They lay there on the floor, numb, until they regained enough strength to make their way to their functional dungeon, their home for… indefinitely. 

Somehow, that realization was the most painful thing she had done to them.

~~~

In dreams, Kassandra drifted, hoping that there, at least, her thoughts would be her own.

She never wanted it to feel this miserable.

She wasn't supposed to be hurting them.

She knew they couldn't escape. Lily was bound by something she didn't understand, something unstoppable.

And yet, Lily realized something about themself. Something Kassandra had known, but known Lily would have taken to unhealthy extremes.

She had to pick her battles. And she didn't have much strength to fight with.

But she would find a way out. Even if it took forever, because she couldn't think of any.

Lily couldn't resist. It wasn't their fault.

They weren't the hopeless one.