Colin's posts

Ash, having felt the mana and heard Ashley call out, didn't move. His first reaction was to just stay there and stay still. Almost like if she didn't see him or hear him, she wouldn't find him.

Lindsay, however, was different.

He had been in his home office, but something had compelled him to get up and go see Ashley.

Like he felt he HAD to, no matter what.

"Yes?" he asked as he got to the first floor as well.

"Welcome back." he greeted Ashley.

"Is there anything I can get you?" he asked.

Jake watched her go, and sighed heavily.

"Phew." he exhaled.

"That... was scary." he said.

"At least she didn't punish me or anything." he went on, shaking his head.

He was still a bit on-edge, but with Ashley gone, he was feeling a bit calmer.

Got it. See you soon. Ashley received from Ash, the man in question laying on their bed, doing nothing.

"...wonder how things went with Chris." he muttered.

"Oh well." he shrugged.

"..........." Jake was silent for a moment, before shaking his head.

"I'm fine." he told her.

"Just... jumpy I guess." he said, scratching the back of his head.

"Don't worry yourself about me, I'll be fine, I promise." he then assured her with a smile.

Inside, he was still screaming.

He was NOT okay, he felt like he was in Vanessa's presence, but something was keeping that bottled up, and forcing him to be more agreeable and less confrontational then usual.

And it was making him play it pretty convincingly.

Jake froze and retreated slightly when Ashley spoke him.

"Ah!" he exclaimed.

"Ah, yes. Y-yes." he said.

"Of course." he went on, nodding.

"Have a nice day." he told her, forcing himself to smile.

Inside he was screaming in panic and fear.

The fear of Vanessa was placed inside him right now.

Hal looked at Terra, and nodded.

"All right." he replied.

He then looked at Chris.

"Do whatever she says, hear?" he asked.

"I do whatever Mistress commands me, which is to follow whatever anyone here tells me." Chris replied.

"....it pisses me off to no end to see someone be so willingly submissive." Hal told him.

"But whatever. Miss Terra, he's all yours." he then finished, before leaving the room.

"I don't know what just happened there, but I don't like it." Hal responded.

"At all." he added.

"What the hell happened here?" he asked Chris.

"She commanded me." Chris replied with a subservient smile.

"....wow." Hal muttered.

"I have NEVER met someone quite like him." he told Terra.

"Maybe Vanessa left more of a mark on him than anyone would have thought." he added, shaking his head.

Hal shook his head.

"No, there's nothing else right now." he told her.

"You're free to go about your business." he said.

In reality, he was extremely wary about letting Ashley go, but he couldn't think of a valid reason for her to remain behind. And any flimsy reasoning would probably irritate her and exacerbate the issue even more.

"Thank you again for your services here." he then thanked her.

"Do you require an escort back to the exit?" he asked.

Chris just nodded.

"Yes, of course." he replied.

"Anything. I will do anything for you, Mistress." he told her.

"....." Sharp was just silent, looking at Terra, then Ashley, then Chris, and then back to Terra.

"I... ah..." he stammered.

"Well, at least he's... more willing to help, and will listen to us..." he said.

"Thank you... Ashley." he then said to the dark elf.

He was unsure as to how delicate things were right now, but he knew at the very least, this was not the time to anger or irritate Ashley.

Hal was almost stunned at what he saw, and what he heard.

"Ah..." he stammered.

"Wait..." he said.

"No..." he then muttered.

"This... this can't be..." he said quietly.

"You're Ashley, but... but why? Why do I feel like I'm in Vanessa's presence right now...?" he asked.

"...my Mistress..." Chris said as he got on the floor, in a position that said he was ready to do anything and everything for her... and have anything and everything done TO him, by her.

Hal nodded.

"Then let's hurry!" he declared.

With that, the two of them raced down to where Ashley and Chris were, with Hal stopping at the door.

He took but a second to brace himself, before he opened the door.

"Fyrane!" he called in as he did so.

"What's going on, here!?"

Chris nodded enthusiastically, and proceeded to do so.

And it was clear that he was hurting himself to do so.

Meanwhile, Hal was already on alert when Terra came to see him.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"You think Jenkins and Ashley have to do with this?" he asked her.

"Shit." he cursed.

"I need to go there and see them NOW."

Chris almost fell to the side from the force of the backhand, but paused as he felt the mana seep into him.

"....." he was silent, before sighing.

"...I am yours..." he told her.

"I am yours to do with as you will, my Mistress." he said.

"Command me, and I will do." he went on.

"Speak your will to me."

At that moment, something happened in Chris.

There was a war going on inside him. A loud voice inside was shouting that he was to be put under her bootheel. He existed to be ground down and used. That this was what was supposed to happen.

But there was also a tiny little voice in the background telling him that he needed to stop this. This wasn't right, and he was ruining a chance he'd been given.

However, the loud voice became even louder when he was hit with the wing.

"If I AM holding out on you, it's not on purpose." he told her in a quiet snivelling tone.

"I am merely suggesting that you might be able to forcefully pull some answers out of me." he explained.

"I don't know why I can't remember anything, but maybe you can literally force my mind to relinquish it, yes?" he explained, a hopeful tone to his voice.

"I am a tool. So use me... Mistress."

Chris just looked to her, and smiled softly.

"Yes, Mistress." he replied.

"...but you're not really my mistress. Not yet." he said further.

"Maybe if you were, then I could remember more." he went on.

"If you were to control me, maybe you could force me to recall what happened." he suggested.

The scary part about all this, was there wasn't a hint of cunning or manipulation in his tone, or his motive. He seemed to be a broken man, desperate for someone to command him. To control him.

And he was only trying to get that right now. Maybe it would help, maybe it wouldn't. He didn't know.

But he certainly hoped she would try it.