Senna slumped into the couch with a heavy sigh, putting her arm over her eyes. She'd had to work overtime, and the weather was hardly helping her mood, either. Well, at least I'm home now.

A snort came from the kitchen. Senna peeked over her arm to see Piper holding her sketchpad and watching her with mock incredulity.

"What's so funny?" Senna grumbled.

Piper pointed at Senna's winter coat, lying haphazardly by the door, sitting by a gray computer backpack that had been gingerly placed down beside it. She raised an eyebrow and chuckled at Senna.

"I have priorities, asshole," Senna shot back with a tired grin.

"Yeah, yeah," Piper grinned back. She nudged Senna over to sit beside her, who laid her head on Piper's bony shoulder in contentment.

They sat there for a few minutes, basking in each other's company. Piper idly brushed a stray hair out of Senna's face with one hand, her other wrapped around her girlfriend's muscled shoulder to pull her closer. Senna let out a soft murmur of contentment in response, nuzzling closer to the fool girl she loved.

"You doing alright, Senn?" Piper asked.

"Yeah... Just been a long day. And, you know, I've gotten pretty tired. You know how I get when I'm tired and lonely..."

Piper nodded, the edges of her mouth turning up in a smile. "How you get, eh?"

Senna turned her head, locking Piper's eyes with a deadpan stare. "Yes, yes, laugh it up. You know what I want."

Piper chuckled. "Oh, do I, now? Why don't you enlighten me?"

Senna rolled her eyes. "Fuck off."

"Why don't you let the audience in on the secret, Senn? I can't help you if you don't clearly explain what you want..." she teased.

Senna groaned. "Fine. You know full well that I get all subby and needy when I'm tired. And you know I need to be yours when it happens, or I feel awful. So I want you to cuddle me and hold on to me and not let me go. Clear?"

Piper's eyes widened in concern, and she dropped the singsong tone. "Oh. I, uh... I didn't realize it had gotten that bad. I thought you were just being coy... and... I didn't mean to string you along..."

"You're fine, Piper," Senna sighed. "Just... please?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Piper nodded, pulling back slightly to salute with a smirk. "That is my punishment for the museum thing, isn't it? Just let me put away my sketchpad and pens first."

"Fair enough, I guess. Don't take too long, okay?"

Piper grinned. "As you command." With that, Piper took off, bounding up the stairs two at a time, leaving Senna to grumble about how fulfilling commands was her job.

If only her energy could be shared.

Piper had no intention of just putting away her sketchpad. Yes, that had been part of the reason she'd wanted to go upstairs, but it was hardly the most important one.

Now which drawer did I put it in again... she mused, giving their nightstand a once-over. When she pulled her own drawer open, though, she discovered a piece of lined paper sitting at the bottom of the drawer where her sketchpad usually sat, with Senna's lovably awful handwriting scrawled all over it. Senna never puts anything in this drawer... so was this left for me? Intrigued, Piper exchanged the page for the sketchpad and pens and held it up to the light.

Short strings of capital letters were scrawled across the page diagonally with no regard for the page's orientation or spacing. Had she been creating a word search? They were all about the same size...

But what kind of word search would be as sappy - or as fragmented - as this? Her eyes picked out 'love', 'obey', and both their names with a cursory sweep of the sheet, trying to make heads or tails of it. And was that 'incomplete' circled in red? As far as word searches went, it didn't seem like a particularly good one.

Well, Senna's more of a puzzle-lover than I am. She probably wants me to figure it out, since she must have left it here this morning...

The page wasn't what she'd come upstairs for, anyway. Resolving to return to figure it out, she slid the paper back below her sketchpad. Then she reached into the drawer below, rummaging through the mess of papers, cards, combs, and other knick-knacks to retrieve a pair of intricate silver pendants, one enameled in orange, the other in crimson. She held the crimson one up to the light, tracing its shape with a smile. 

Shaped like a hanging bat, the intricate rune etched on its surface was supposed to mean 'creative' and 'honest', or so Senna had told her. I'm certainly at least one of those things, she thought wryly, slipping the pendant into her pocket carefully.

So Senna was complaining that she got subby when she was tired? It was clear to Piper what she was really asking for, even if Senna hadn't said it out loud. And, she thought, I do have standing permission to... how did she put it? "Use her mind as I please?"

Then she'd do just that.

Senna froze where she stood in front of the coat rack as she felt a hundred pounds of wispy girl jump at her from behind, then melted as said wisp rubbed its head against her own.

"Hey, girl," Senna sighed fondly.

"Hey," Piper replied softly. Comfortably. Senna let out a small murmur of contentment.

Senna motioned for Piper to let go, then sat back down on the couch and patted the open seat beside her. Piper, never one to be ordered around, opted to sit on her lap instead, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend. Not that Senna planned to complain.

"Is this what you had in mind, love?" Piper whispered. Senna held her a little bit tighter in response.

Piper chuckled. "Of course it was. Of course it was..." she trailed off, squeezing her girlfriend a little tighter. "You said you had a long day, Senn. Wanna talk about it?"

Senna shook her head. "It wasn't really anything in particular. Just long and draining, I guess. I'd rather hear about yours."

Piper grinned into Senna's shoulder.

"Well, I was doing nature sketches today. Still taking a break from commissions, at least for the rest of the week. It was so pretty outside..."

"I hadn't noticed," Senna grumbled. "I was too busy getting snowed on."

"Well, yes, but I was nice and cozy in here. And now you are, too, aren't you?"

Senna sighed. "Yeah, I am..."

"It's so cozy in here, especially with a cute girl to share your warmth with, isn't it?"

Senna snorted.

"Yeah... when I was sketching, I saw a pretty rare sight, actually. A coyote, out in the trees behind our house. We don't see those too often around here, but hey - there it was. It was a big fluffy wolf-dog-thing... probably would have been scary if I hadn't been nice and cozy inside." Piper paused, reigning in her natural energy to bring her voice back to a soft, smooth drawl. "It looked so cute, though, and it was so fluffy... I don't see why people are scared of something so adorable. I remember its tail swishing back and forth, back and forth, so adorably..."

"Mmmm..."

"Its fur looked really fuzzy, too. Fluffy and soft, like your hair." Piper moved a hand up to caress the back of Senna's head. "Yeah, just like your hair... Imagine petting that fluffy tail. Wouldn't that have been nice?"

"Yeah..." Senna whispered, feeling the rhythmic beats that followed her emotions leap at the warmth, her mind painting a picture so vivid it supplied a phantom sensation of fur to match.

"It was chasing something - a squirrel, I think - and running around in the snow. The patterns of snowfall were so fun to watch, too. The crystal flakes, swirling around, falling down... Much like a certain someone fell straight home and into my arms."

Senna chuckled quietly, in time with the rhythms. After all, she could hardly deny it. That had been what she'd done...

"The coyote kept kicking up snow behind it. It was so nice to watch. It was so easy to keep getting lost in the spirals of snow it kicked up in its wake... they were such fascinating patterns. Chaotic, but orderly too. Yes, like that rhythm from your books. Everything, despite all odds, in its right place. Just like you. Here in my arms."

Senna nuzzled into Piper's neck.

"You like that, don't you, girl? Knowing you're meant to be here in my arms. Comfortable, relaxing, listening to me describing that fluffy coyote and the beautiful snowfall... Imagining the coyote dashing to and fro, back and forth..."

A spark of clarity flickered in Senna's eyes for a moment, her rhythm disrupted. "Piper... are you putting me under?" she whispered softly.

Piper pulled back, grinning. "Oh, all I wanted to do was get you to relax..."

"That's a yes, then?"

"Sure is," she smirked. "I was wondering when you'd notice. You don't seem to be against the idea, though - you'd have objected by now if you were, wouldn't you?"

"Obviously. Give me some credit, Pipes..."

Piper drew back, pulling out a small crimson-and-silver pendant from her pocket. Senna snorted as the glyph dangled in front of her face. "Just putting away your sketchpad, huh?"

"The excuse worked, didn't it?"

"It did..." she sighed. "Well, who am I to deny you, Pipes? You're the Mistress here..."

Piper giggled. "True. And you're being such a good pet for me, aren't you? So sleepy, and so comfy... Playing along with my silly acting... You're doing wonderfully, love. Just wonderfully."

She began to swing the glyph, letting Senna's eyes follow the pendant back and forth. The rhythm returned, slow and steady. "Back and forth, just like the coyote's tail... It's so easy to relax, isn't it? Thinking about petting something soft. Thinking about me petting you... so comfortable. So safe. So easy to let yourself sink for me, isn't it?"

"Yeah..."

"Good girl. You want to submit to me so, so much, don't you? Don't think I didn't notice you struggling to keep yourself under when you noticed the induction... and you slipped right back in, so easily. You just want to be mine... isn't that right?"

"Obviously..."

She smirked. "Of course. Because you are mine. Because I love you so, so very much... and you love me just as deeply. You can be safe here, comfortable, relaxed, open... you can be what you always are, Senna. You can be my pet. My servant. My slave."

Senna's breath caught and she shivered as the rhythm surged with renewed strength. "Yesssss..."

"Then sleep, Senna. Let yourself be mine. Sleep."

With a final thunderous beat, Senna's mind puffed to mist.

Piper breathed out shakily, the excitement of the covert induction catching up to her. They'd talked about the possibility, and Senna had given the explicit okay, but Piper'd never actually... tried it before.

And I definitely should have tried it sooner.

Piper's eyes took in the delicious sight beneath her. Senna was so peaceful, so unconcerned... awaiting an order, a purpose. Nothing was more beautiful.

Said beauty was only compounded by the knowledge that she was helping Senna. Giving her comfort, a respite from work and worry. After all, she was hardly a cruel Mistress. And seeing her own treated well... why, that was a reward unto itself.

But what to do with her now? Relaxation is all well and good, but she hates it when I drop her and don't have a little fun...

"Just breathe, my pet..." Piper whispered. "You're doing so, so well."

That's time bought. But what to do? She always complains about everyone else being less competent, or at least not understanding what they need to do. So... she's stressed from taking charge?

That was as good an explanation as any for why the deeply submissive girl had been so drained. Oh, she could take charge if she needed to, but Piper would hear her grumble about it the rest of the day afterwards. Not that she minded too much - taking charge always made Senna needy, and while that in of itself wasn't something Piper wanted, it did mean there would be cuddles.

Cuddles. That's an idea. She shouldn't be able to take charge... and she wanted cuddles... Piper ran her index finger down Senna's arm, tracing the strong, powerful lines of muscle there. Can't take charge, eh?

She grinned, the idea taking full form as she spoke. "Senna... you just want to be mine now, don't you?"

"Yessss..."

"And you don't want to have to do anything right now, do you?"

"No..."

"You don't have to, love. You can just relax by my side. There's no need to put any real effort into what you do now, is there? You can just be mine, and let that be all you need."

Senna's brow furrowed, and she said nothing. 

"Just relax, Senna. You don't need to put any force behind your actions, not right now. Force of will, or force of body. Your strength, your potential... it's all still there, especially if you truly need it. But as long as you're comfortable... it's just so hard to use that strength, isn't it? So hard to do anything but listen, and be mine."

Senna nodded, her expression relaxing.

"When you wake up, you won't want to use that force unless you truly have to, right? You'll just want to be here, in my embrace..."

"Yessss..." The edges of Senna's lips twitched into a smile.

"What are you going to do, Senna, when you wake up?"

"Have... no strength to think... no will to break..." Senna emphasized the last word, the smile widening for a moment into a grin.

Piper barely managed to confine her laughter to a few stray giggles. Even in trance, Senna would always find a way to slip a reference to a game or a book in, wouldn't she? Although, come to think of it, she hadn't been watching Piper play during the scene she just quoted...

Had Senna researched the game on her own, to better follow along when Piper gushed over its story for hours? It certainly sounded like something that dork would do.

Hey, God, or whoever? If anyone's listening, thanks for whatever divine luck I must have stumbled over for me to end up with her.

"Hey now. I'm not looking for an empty Vessel, and I certainly wouldn't want to take away your lovely voice..." she chuckled. "But yes. That is, I suppose, one way of putting it."

Piper pointedly breathed in through her nose, and let it out as a sigh, pushing aside the rest of her laughter with a surprisingly difficult effort of will. 

"Now, Senna. Since you understand me so well" - in more ways than one - "it's time for you to wake up."

Senna woke to find herself trapped under a tangle of copper hair and freckled skin, wrapping her tightly in a hug. She smiled tiredly, feeling the weight of her day catching up to her.

"Clingy, Pipes?" she chuckled.

"A bit... What of it?"

Senna shook her head slowly, pushing through the fatigue. Her emotions felt so muted that she barely heard any rhythm at all. "Oh, nothing..." she trailed off. She hadn't been that tired, had she? But... why should she care? It was so hard to-

"Did you... make me tired, Piper? I just feel so... listless..."

Piper laughed, a tone sweeter and more pure than any rhythm. "It wasn't meant to be a mystery, but maybe I should have expected that you would figure it out so easily. Well, mostly. You're not quite right... but that's the gist of it."

Senna nodded, closing her eyes and leaning into the hug, accompanied by beats that were muted, soft and calm. Piper let out a soft murmur and hugged her a bit tighter.

They sat like that, just basking in the other's presence, for several minutes. After all, why would Senna want to leave? It was so comfortable...

Piper drew back after a minute with a devious smile. "So, you didn't even make a peep... well, how about a little challenge, then? Senna, I am ordering you to try and resist me. Don't resist me hard, of course - not unless I do something you're actually opposed to. Struggle all you want, though... it'll only make my victory all the sweeter." She grabbed Senna again, chin over her shoulder.

Senna scoffed. Really? What kind of challenge was that? Even tired, Senna was far stronger than Piper, and...

She frowned. That was odd. Experimentally, she pushed against Piper's embrace again, but again got no reaction. It felt so hard to do... the lethargy must have extended to her movements, not just her mind. Weakness, then? No wonder Piper had challenged her to resist. The battle had been lost before Senna had even woken up.

That didn't mean she wasn't going to try.

Piper giggled. "Looks like you've been overpowered by your strong, athletic Mistress, aren't you? Can't even wriggle out of my grip..."

Senna shifted her head to the side, head-bumping Piper on the cheek. "I can't really give you a shove right now... that'll have to do," she grumbled. 

Piper grinned. "Well, I suppose that hitting your Mistress is by most definitions resistance... but surely you can do better than that."

Senna nuzzled harder into the hug. "Do I haaaave to..." she sighed. "It's so... comfy..." Her eyelids drooped as her voice quieted and she held back a yawn.

"Yes, Senna, you have to," Piper grinned with mock sternness. "A comfy rest can be your reward for going along with my silly game, okay? …But if you're actually just that tired, do tell me, alright?"

"Fine," Senna chuckled softly. "I'll resist you, then. We'll see how this goes."

Piper's arms loosened, and Senna found herself free to stand up again. Doing so didn't feel like it took too much more effort... maybe simple, instinctive actions weren't covered by Piper's rules? That made sense, with how Senna typically interpreted things.

"So, Pipes, what should I be resisting, th-" Her voice cut off as a finger suddenly pressed itself against her lips. Even with Piper exerting the faintest amount of pressure, Senna found it a struggle to open her mouth. It was just so difficult to muster the will... So even that's enough to restrain me? 

Piper grinned, using her other index finger to push on Senna's collarbone. Her legs buckled beneath her as Piper pressed her down against the couch, and she mumbled in protest through her closed lips.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Senn?" Piper asked, smiling evilly. Senna couldn't muster the will to do more than raise an eyebrow in response, sending Piper into a fit of giggles.

"I'll take that as a yes, then!" Piper exclaimed, climbing on top of Senna. Yet the smaller girl might as well have been made of concrete, as Senna's fading will and sluggish muscles left her barely able to move under the featherweight of her girlfriend. Yet somehow, being restrained - which normally made her panic - felt somehow... nice. Was it the fact that she knew she could escape if she wanted? Or was it just the knowledge of what was restraining her? The warmth and comfort of being in the hands of someone she trusted implicitly, someone who was as much a part of her as anything else could ever be?

That. Definitely that one.

Piper kissed her collarbone, giggling as the kiss forced Senna back down into the cushions.

"Are you enjoying your doll, Pipes?" Senna retorted softly.

"Senna, a doll wouldn't be nearly as fun to play with," she giggled.

She couldn't find it in her to argue the point. Which… was probably because of the suggestion, wasn't it? Not that she cared either way, at the moment. 

She wiggled experimentally against Piper's assault, grunting with effort as she managed to sit just a little more upright. She pushed the smaller girl's head away with as much force as she could muster, but couldn't get Piper to budge.

"Oh, Senn. Are you really that unhappy with this?" she asked, her voice muffled by Senna's chest.

"Yes," she huffed.

"Oh, please. Your safeties would have kicked in by now, wouldn't they? Or you'd have said something. Really, Senna? Are you really unhappy?" she grinned.

"Shut up," Senna grumbled.

"Well, I'll stop, then..." Piper pulled back, and Senna stood up, stretching her arms with a frown. "You didn't want me to stop, did you?"

"Mmm." 

"Well, if you want me to continue, I'll just make sure you're comfortable."

Senna opened her mouth to ask what that meant, but her intermittent question was cut off by a blanket to the face, and she went back down like a pile of bricks, her body reacting a moment after the contact registered in her mind. Interesting contradiction there... I can't use my strength, but I can use it to 'be weak.'

She felt the blanket move and shift, wrapping around her body and pulling away from her face. Once cocooned, she looked up at her grinning girlfriend with a raised eyebrow, unable to move anything but her head.

"Piper, you realize that I was standing up perfectly fine before? If this blanket could really hold me down, surely I shouldn't have been-" she cut off as Piper flicked her lightly on the forehead.

"Hey now, Senn. This is relaxing time, not thinking time. You don't want to think right now, do you?"

She sighed, expression growing dreamy. "No, I don't..." She blinked, eyes refocusing. "But your suggestion was still poorly constructed. And I'm a burrito now. Grumble grumble grumble."

Piper giggled. "Going through the motions?"

"Well, yeah," she laughed, her features softening. "Since when have I ever wanted to resist you, Pipes? Why would I resist the wonderful words spoken by the love of my life? Of you? It's such a silly idea."

Piper grabbed at the blanketed Senna tightly, almost desperately at those words. "You... you really mean it?"

Senna laughed softly. "Piper, I love you with all I am. Trying to resist was fun, or at least interesting, but..."

She leaned in slightly, as much as the blanket allowed. "Resistance isn't what I want right now. Can we stop with the charade? Or, at least, save it for another time. I believe I was promised cuddles?"

Piper closed her eyes as she snuggled up tighter. "You were, you were..." She squeezed her captive girlfriend. "I suppose I'll just have to oblige."

It didn't take long before Senna's own eyes drifted shut. She fell asleep to a rhythm that sounded like home.