[Begin Log]

Natalie: Alright… okay. [Clears throat]

[Knocking on door]

Luma: [Muffled] Come in!

Natalie: [Under breath] Huh…

[Opens door]

[Faint bubbling in background]

Natalie: Uh… hello?

Luma: [Less faintly] I'm in the kitchen.

Natalie: Oh, uh… okay.

[Bubbling gets louder]

Luma: Ah, hello, Natalie. I’m—

[Clears throat]

Luma: [Flatly] I’m… glad you could make it. Apologies for the hold-up, I’m almost done here.

Natalie: Are you… cooking?

Luma: Yes, it… seemed appropriate, I suppose. It’s been a while.

Natalie: You, uh… you know this isn’t a date, right?

Luma: Of course, but it's only polite to cook when you're entertaining. Or— how old are you?

Natalie: 26?

Luma: [Less flatly] Right, I suppose you'd see it as a bit familiar. Apologies.

Natalie: Yeah… Uh— Uh, yeah, don't worry about it. Like, as long as we’re clear. How— wait, how old are you?

Luma: Eh… 128 years, give or take.

Natalie: But… you said you only got turned right before you, uh…

Luma: It was unrelated. A long story… [Less flatly] perhaps we can discuss it over dinner.

[Clinking of dishes]

Natalie: R-right. Yeah. Uh… wait, can you even eat any of that? What, is there blood in it or something?

[Luma giggles]

Luma: [Less flatly] There’s tomato in it. And no, mixing blood in with human food would be a bit like mixing borș in with a bucket of mud. But I’m hoping I still have the muscle memory to put together a half-decent ciorbă.

Natalie: Oh… heh, yeah, sounds good.

Luma: Yes, it— oh.

[Luma takes a deep breath]

Luma: [Much more flatly] Apologies. I’m still getting the hang of… speaking. Are you alright?

Natalie: I… [Sighs] yeah. Yeah. Sorry, it’s kind of… um…

Luma: Trust me, I know. You have nothing to be sorry for.

Natalie: Ugh… Um, thanks. I guess.

Luma: Do you need me to repeat?

Natalie: Nah, uh… I mean, I don't know what ciorbă is, but I assume it's European or something. I mean, it sounds European, like you… Hey, did anyone ever tell you you kinda sound like Dracula?

[Luma snorts]

Luma: [Less flatly] Did anyone ever tell you you sound like Taylor Swift?

[Natalie laughs]

Natalie: Wow. Okay, fair. I mean… I guess it’s more like you’re a hot girl version of Dracula?

Luma: I’m…

[Luma growls faintly, then takes a deep breath]

Luma: [More flaty] I am flattered.

Natalie: Oh goddammit, did I say the ‘hot’ part out loud?

Luma: Yes…

[Natalie groans]

Natalie: I mean… okay, it’s not a lie. Even though I… I mean, I don't know if I can just… just—

[Spoon bangs against pot a few times, very loudly]

[Luma sighs]

Luma: It’s done. I assume. But we should… could we talk about this first?

[Natalie sits down]

Natalie: I mean… about what? I told you, I’m still making up my mind.

[Luma sits down]

Luma: Yes, and… and I respect that. I will do everything I can to respect that. But I am familiar with these dynamics. I have a better handle on my charisma now, but an immature one still. You can probably tell. Meanwhile, I can certainly smell you. And, paradoxically, cooking seems to still make me hungry, even though… well…

Natalie: What’s your point?

Luma: [Much less flatly] I’m saying that we are on a ticking clock here. We should make our decisions now, before our bodies make them for us.

Natalie: I… you’re, haha, um…

Luma: [Growling] Băga-mi-aș— Look, I… I… [Much more flatly] Did you understand, at least?

[Natalie sighs]

Natalie: Y-yeah. Yeah. I, um… I get it. I just…

[Natalie groans loudly]

Natalie: God, I don’t know what to feel! Like, I keep thinking about what it felt like, I seriously can’t get it out of my head, but just— that’s almost worse? I’m not like you, you know? I never even thought about all this weird fetish stuff until you just— Just the one night I fuck up and stay out past sunset, the one time, suddenly you just barge in, and bam, now I’m some sort of sex freak or something? Like, honestly considering letting you do that again? I should be pushing charges, not coming over for dinner!

[No one says anything for a few seconds]

Natalie: …Sorry. I know you didn’t… you seem… honest, and sweet, I guess. I hope. But how do I even know you're… not just… just… uh…

Luma: …What is it?

Natalie: Your, uh, eyes… it’s kinda uncomfortable.

Luma: Oh, I see. Apologies, human instinct. I didn’t mean to make you fight off a trance.

[Natalie sighs]

Natalie: Thanks. I guess it’s more than most humans get to do, but… Ugh. This sucks.

Luma: It does. Here, why don’t I just get you some food?

Natalie: Y-yeah. Sounds good. Um…

Luma: …Yes?

Natalie: And I guess… it’s only fair, if you’re feeding me…

Luma: Please… [In a desperately flat voice] Please, er… think of yourself here.

Natalie: I… am. And I think I need… um…

[Natalie lets out a breath]

Natalie: It can’t be never again, Luma. It just… can't. So maybe… after dinner…?

[Luma moans loudly]

Luma: [Less flatly] Thank you. Thank you. I promise, I… I won’t make you regret this, I swear.

Natalie: Oh god, you’d better not. If I got another taste and then had to give it up, it’d probably fuckin’ kill me. It was bad enough already, being able to remember the, uh…

[Luma places a bowl on the table]

Luma: Natalie?

Natalie: Why did you… erase my memory, again? The first time? Like, what was I coming back from? Couldn’t you have just… just…

Luma: Perhaps hold off on this—

Natalie: Oh. Oh goddammit, I… ah…

Luma: …Apologies. I should have preempted that.

Natalie: You… haha… No, you were perfect, Luma…

Luma: Do you need a moment for the failsafe?

[Natalie fumbles with her phone]

Natalie: Yeah… I mean, um, if that’s… okay, Luma?

Luma: Of course. You can… y… you can…

Natalie: What’s—

[Chair skidding]

[Phone clatters to floor]

[Natalie moans]

Luma: [Actively seductive] I suppose I could just… just… you agreed, you agreed, after all… you…

Natalie: F-fuck! Yes! Yes, Luma!

Luma: Goddess. If you’re my thrall, you call me Goddess.

Natalie: Yes, Goddess!

Luma: Good girl. Good girl. Now—

Natalie: I— um— s-sorry, Goddess, I— I— [Robotically] Hello, future me.

[Unintelligible growling]

Natalie: If you’re hearing this right now, it means you're doing something you shouldn’t, and Natalie wants to listen to her failsafe. Or, at least, that she believes she would want to if she weren’t ours right now.

Luma: N-no… no, of course, I… I…

Natalie: But you’re still hearing this, so you haven’t interrupted it yet, either. That’s good. I’ll have her explain why she wants to stop now, so please listen.

[Luma growls between breaths]

Natalie: [Normally] S-sorry, I can’t… uh… resist my programming, and Goddess that’s so hot, and… and… um, I think that I was kind of… enjoying talking to you? As, like… a person, you know? And I still wanted to… like, um… actually talk through… submitting like this?

Luma: I… I apologize, I…

Natalie: No, no, no, Goddess, it’s okay!

Luma: I’ll… [Strained, somewhat more flatly] I will wait to hear it in a moment.

Natalie: Okay… uh, yes, Goddess. So…

[Natalie picks up her phone]

Natalie: Oh yeah, this old thing. I forgot I was still recording.

Luma: Recording?

Natalie: Oh, s-sorry, Goddess, I know you didn’t give permission, I just… I guess I was worried about something bad happening? I dunno what I was going to do with it, though…

Luma: It’s fine, it’s… it is something I have done before. Though you may need to delete it.

Natalie: Right, guess it’d kinda be a trigger… hm. Goddess?

Luma: Yes?

Natalie: Not to, um, question you, but… what’s your long-term plan with this?

Luma: I’m… not sure I understand the question.

Natalie: Oh, r-right… um, sorry, never—

Luma: Tell me. Always tell me.

Natalie: Yes, Goddess! I just… well, you’ve got your blog, and your research, and you wanna make the stuff you do public knowledge, right?

Luma: More or less.

Natalie: So, like… if just knowing you can’t release me messes this up, then how does this work once everyone knows you can’t release me?

Luma: I…

[Luma sighs]

Luma: Let’s talk about this later. I had hoped to get some feedback about my hypnosis, anyway. And my ciorbă.

Natalie: Yes, Goddess!

Luma: …Good girl.

[End Log]