Ira really should have seen it coming. Everything had gone just a little too smoothly from the start, but she'd been too overconfident to admit it. Of course everything was going well, she was a Maste-... She was an Accomplished thief! So why wouldn't she try to handle this job? She'd done plenty like it before. Some rich fop has something pretty someone else wants, she sneaks in, avoids the security, pilfers the item, and leaves. And she hadn't messed up yet! So when she found that a reclusive Countess had no active guards, a security system over a decade out of date, and plenty of goodies to keep for herself, she jumped at the opportunity. Maybe she was a little too greedy. Maybe if she'd just stuck to grabbing the prize, she wouldn't be standing terrified with the vase halfway in her bag while the Countess stared her down from the entrance of the room. 

Neither woman so much as spoke for quite some time. Ira was too terrified to move a muscle, and even if she could, the only way out of this room was past the much larger Countess. And The Countess, for her part, was just watching Ira with a calm expression on her face. She didn't seem particularly bothered by an intruder in the dead of night stealing her things; Rather, she seemed almost... Amused. 

After several agonizing minutes, Ira nervously stepped back slightly. The Countess merely raised a single eyebrow, however, and Ira froze again. The Countess made no other movements, yet remained completely in control of the situation. After another horrifying minute of silence, Ira quietly squeaked, "...aren't you going to call the cops?" The Countess gave a small smirk. "What makes you believe I have not already done so?" Ira shrunk back, shuddering. The Countess continued staring, a light smirk now decorating her face. Ira could feel herself beginning to panic. What was she doing?! Why was she just staring like that?! Ira pathetically mewled, "...why are you staring at me...?" The Countess chuckled softly. "I believe as the intruder in my home, you are far better suited to answering questions than asking them. And I must ask," All traces of humor and amusement vanished from her face for a second, replaced by a cold, imperious stare. "What are you doing with my treasures?"

Ira felt her blood freeze, and before she could stop herself she started spilling everything. Every detail of her situation, of her skills, of her planning, of who hired her, of why, of how... All effortlessly coaxed out with a single look from the Countess. As she finished pouring everything out, the Countess nodded to herself. "I see." Ira waited for her to say something else, but instead she continued staring silently. Trembling, Ira began trying to put the vase back, and the Countess raised an eyebrow. Ira's hands could hardly hold the vase, and as she leaned against the mantelpiece, the vase slipped from her grasp. 

Her heart stopped and she grabbed for it, narrowly managing to catch it again. Panting, she carefully placed it on the mantelpiece, her body still recovering from the jolt. She nervously looked over at the Countess, who nodded slightly. "Thank you." Ira quietly asked, "...can... can I leave now...? please...?" The Countess raised an eyebrow. "Why would I let you leave?" Ira weakly pointed to the vase. "...i gave you the vase back... i can give you everything back..." The Countess nodded. "You will. But you also intruded upon my domain. You will make amends for that as well." The way she specified that Ira *would* make amends only terrified the young burglar more.

"Are... are you sending me to prison...?" The Countess shook her head. "No. That would not benefit me at all." Ira's mind raced. "I, I could steal something for you! Or give you all my money!" The Countess shook her head. "No. I have no desire for token payments, or any confidence in your skill as a burglar." Normally Ira would have been incensed by such a comment, but she felt too terrified to even raise her voice at The Countess, let alone talk back. "S-So... wh-what are you going to do...?" The Countess calmly explained. "You will work for me from now on, as my maid." Ira trembling. "...maid...? For how long....?" The Countess gave a miniscule smirk. "For as long as I desire. You attempted to steal from me, I caught you, and thus...I Own You." Ira's body softly murmured, "...you own me..." before she tried to protest. "...y-you can't own people!" 

The Countess raised an eyebrow and gave a low, terrifying chuckle. "Do you know who I am, little thief? Do you know whose lair you have intruded upon? In your greed, you never thought to investigate the history behind your target. And oh, what a history you would find." She stepped forward one step, the sound echoing throughout the room, and Ira's body locked up. All of a sudden, the Countess's shadow was so much bigger than it should be... And a pair of tremendous wings flashed in her vision. She fell to her knees, overcome by fear and awe. "...i-i'm sorry... didn't know... d-don't hurt me..." The Countess smiled. "Why would I hurt you? You are mine now, and I do not like for my treasures to be damaged. Now ***Obey.***" 

The Countess's eyes erupted into shimmering pools of iridescent magic. Ira's gaze immediately met hers, and she could no longer look away. Even from across the room, the swirling light pulled her deeper, engulfing her in The Countess's unfathomable power. Every thought was washed away in the hypnotizing display, replaced by thoughts of love and servitude. To be granted the opportunity to merely serve such a majestic and powerful being filled Ira with pleasure and satisfaction beyond what she had ever known. It felt as if her destiny was always to serve her Mistress, and she had just never known before. Even her identity faded away in the overwhelming onslaught of majestic light, and she blissfully knelt there, nothing but an obedient maid for her Mistress...

The Countess smiled and casually walked up to her new maid. Perfectly obedient now, as she should be. Oh, how much the Countess loved playing with mortal minds. The poor girl had been softened up so much by fear that a flash of her eyes lasting half a second was enough to completely break her... "Come along now, maid. I must give you your uniform while I properly brainwash you on how to behave." The maid obediently followed, a blank smile on her face.

The maid was happily cleaning the foyer when her Mistress came through and smiled at her. Bliss unparalleled flooded through her body, and she smiled back. "I will be leaving the house for a small time, maid. I must act upon the information that a foolish mortal gave me of a bounty being put out on my vase as she tried to steal it." She chuckled. "I do believe I could use a brainwashed thief or three at my beck and call." She calmly left, and the maid returned to her chores. Whoever that mortal was truly had been so foolish as to try and steal from her Mistress.