Chapter 3--Day 2

Surprisingly enough, Bubbles slept rather well. One would expect after the mind-fuck of a day she had prior to sleeping would've given her nightmares, but they didnt. She shifted around in her little cocoon of blankets, not wanting to get up from the softness and warmth they provided. But she knew she had to get up at some point...she yawned. ...But not now...

Well, that fantasy was blown to bits when she heard Him's voice.

"I know you're awake, Pet," he called over from across the room. "Upsy daisies now, dont want to let the day fly by, do we?" Bubbles groaned and pulled the blankets off of her, then looked around. Yep. Same room in the same Hell...with the same cross-dressing demon sitting at His vanity. Bubbles sat up, brushing her hair out of her face, as she looked at Him.

At the moment, He was completely dressed, hair already combed, and He was applying what looked like a third coat of mascara to His eyelashes. Bubbles saw that His claws were surprisingly intricate and steady, not slipping an iota as He applied the last of His makeup, then turned to see Bubbles staring at Him. He grinned. "Good morning," He said. "Have a nice sleep?" Bubbles nodded. "From now on, I expect a verbal answer to my questions," He said. "Your silence bores me." Bubbles frowned.

"...Yes, Master, I did," she said. Him's grin broadened.

"Good," He said, standing up. Bubbles was surprised when He threw her a black piece of cloth that, when she picked it up, she found to be a very thin, short sleeveless dress with a hint of lace on the hem. "I have a meeting with someone today," He said, noticing her confused expression. "You're coming along; I cant very well have you walking around Earth stark naked, can I?" Bubbles blushed and quickly pulled the dress on, noticing that it barely covered her thighs. She adjusted it into place, then got up to follow Him into the dining room.

Again, without being told, Bubbles knelt on the floor next to Him's chair, and she was handed her plate, her glasses of milk and orange juice, and--to her surprise--a piece of newspaper and a pen. "Do the Sudoku for me, since I dont have time," Him told her. She looked up to see that He had the rest of the paper on the table in front of Him, and had a pen in His claw and was doing the crossword puzzle. Ignoring the oddness, Bubbles ate her breakfast and attempted to do the Sudoku. She hated math.

She didnt even finish one square before Him pushed back His chair. "Alright, time to go," He announced. Bubbles sighed and gulped down the last bit of her orange juice before getting up to follow Him. They walked out to the end of the hallway and into Him's everyday dwellings, then Bubbles let out a squeak when Him pulled her to His chest and enveloped them in a reddish pink mist.

When it cleared, Bubbles saw that she was back on Earth, but where, she didnt know. She nervously pulled her dress down as far as it would allow, and backed away from Him, who reeled her back in.

"Here are the rules," He said, looking her in the eye to make sure she was paying attention. "Do not speak unless spoken to. Do not do anything I dont tell you to do. And whatever you do, do not--I repeat, do NOT--leave my sight. Understood?" Bubbles nodded, then, getting a look from Him, said,

"Yes, Master." Him nodded and let her go, and she followed Him into what looked like a dark and abandoned bar. She didnt have any trouble following the 'stay within Him's sight' rule; she felt that if she left physical contact with Him, something would jump out and snatch her up. Him led the way to a door in the back of the decrepit place and opened it, then walked down a flight of stairs until Bubbles could hear music playing behind another door, where a single man stood, arms crossed. Him walked up to the man, who held up his hand and then wordlessly held up a large card.

"Death," Him said instantly, and the man wordlessly stepped out of the way, letting Him and Bubbles through. Bubbles thought it was her imagination, but she thought she saw the man's eyes look at her collar, then look at her with almost pity. Nonetheless, Bubbles followed Him into the room, and immediately took a small handful of the pink fluff on His collar.

It looked like something right out of that Constantine movie: the entire place was lit with black lights, and the people in there didnt look completely human. She looked over and saw one woman pick up a goblet of what looked like water, twirl her finger over the top of the rim, and the water turn into blood before she drank it. Bubbles let out a small whimper and followed Him through the labyrinth of people, trying not to look around anymore than she absolutely had to.

Finally, Him came to another door in the back of the room and another guard-like person spoke to Him in a language that even Bubbles--who could learn and understand any language she wanted to--didnt even comprehend. Him just replied in the same language, and they were both let through.

This room was more brightly lit than the previous room, though not by much. The only source of light was fire-lit lamps. There were only two people in this room; both looked like they werent even human; they looked more like they were a cross between vampires and the Gangreen Gang. Him walked into the room and sat down on one of the armchairs, crossing His legs elegantly and gestured to the floor. Bubbles immediately knelt down next to Him, keeping her hands in her lap and her eyes lowered to them.

"So nice you could meet with us on such short notice, Him," one of the men said, his voice sounding like he had gargled a vat of acid before coming to this meeting. Bubbles heard Him make a sound of indifference.

"Such short notice also means short on time," Him replied. "I have other engagements that are supposed to be the priority before this one, so do make this worth my time..." Bubbles shuddered at that deep tone Him's voice took. She closed her eyes, and willed her thoughts away to her happy place while Him and whoever these guys were made their deal or whatever they were doing.

She didnt know how much time had passed, but she looked up when she felt Him's claw over her back. She froze at the contact, then noticed that Him's aura seemed a little angry.

"Out of the question!" He growled, His eyes glaring at the two in an angry green. Bubbles blinked, confused, then looked up to see both of the men staring at her lecherously.

"It would...say...sweeten the deal," one of them said, licking his lips at her. Bubbles' eyes grew wide, and she unconsciously drew closer to Him, pressing her shoulder against the side of His boot. "Hell, this way, you wont have to give us a quarter of the power we asked for! We could just use hers!" Oh crap, she thought. These guys apparently knew who she was! And for some reason, wanted her for her power (among other unspeakable things). Again, she felt Him's claw slide down her shoulder and hold her to His leg.

"And I said NO!" he hissed. "She's mine, and only mine, so either take what I offered you, or forget about it!" Bubbles bit her lip, trying to stop from trembling, as the two men looked at each other and sighed with defeat.

"Deal," they both said together. Bubbles resisted the urge to sigh with relief.

Him had waited until the two men left, then He tapped Bubbles on the back to let her know it was time to leave. Bubbles did so silently, still feeling grossed out by the way those two had looked at her. Him led her through the people in the main room, then paused and looked down at Bubbles. "I'm going to have a drink before we leave," He said. Bubbles nodded, not really having any say-so anyway, and followed Him up to the bar, where she stood next to Him (not knowing whether she was allowed to sit down at the bar, and definitely not sitting on the ground) as He gestured with His claw and instantly was graced with a glass mug of some liquid Bubbles didnt feel like deciphering. She waited patiently, her arms crossed over her body, and dared to look around a little.

There were some scary people here, she realized. This must be where mortal people, but with powers like Him, would hang out. She saw two women at a small table, who were balancing needles on top of one another to create the Eiffel Tower. She saw a younger-looking man reading an ancient-looking book, twirling what looked like three small crystal balls in midair with a simple gesture of his hand as his eyes never left the book. Then her gaze slid over to a dandy-looking man who was performing card tricks for a small group of people; his most impressive one making a card burst into flame with a snap of his fingers, then pulling that exact card out of midair. Bubbles actually found that amusing, but her amusement turned into fear when the dandy man turned and gave her a nasty look.

"Pets should keep their eyes on the ground, where they themselves belong!" he hissed at her, making Bubbles jump and immediately lower her eyes. She felt Him stand up from His stool and put His arm around her. She looked up to see the dandy's eyes widen with fear. "I...m-my apologies, Sir!" he stuttered. "I didnt know she was yours!"

Him gave the dandy a hard stare-down. "And those who are not the Masters of pets should keep their tongues to themselves, lest their tongues be torn from their mouths by the true Master!" He shot back, making the dandy drop all of his cards and dart right out of the room in fear. Everyone else, who had been watching the scene, immediately went back to their own devices as Him walked out of the room, Bubbles still in His hold.

Bubbles was actually amazed at the amount of fear and respect Him received. He must really be more powerful than she or her sisters once thought, if just one look was enough to clear an entire room of pseudo-humans. Still remaining quiet but shaken, she allowed Him to pull her closer and teleport them home.

Bubbles wasnt aware that she was shaking until Him called her out on it. "Whatever are you shaking for?" He asked, stepping back with one claw on His hip. "You werent in any danger, and you're not in any trouble." Bubbles fought like mad to stop her shaking, but to no avail. Him rolled His eyes. "Come," He said, turning down the hall. "That meeting was a waste of my time...and now I'm behind on work..." Bubbles followed Him into the TV room, where she sat down on the floor as Him sat on the couch and picked out a scene to manipulate.

After setting the scene on the television screen, Bubbles blinked when she felt Him tap her shoulder. "Sit up here," He commanded. Bubbles paused only for a moment before doing as she was told. Him grinned and tapped His lap with His claw. "Lie down," He said. "I'd like something to pet today."

Bubbles almost cringed, but she slowly did as she was told; she shifted so she was lying sideways on the couch with her head in Him's lap, facing the television. Him made a soft sound of approval, and began His job of whispering sweet evils into people's ears as He stroked Bubbles' hair with His claw. Bubbles actually found it very calming and pleasant, despite all attempts to not enjoy it. She was even distracted from the horror on the television as she was lulled into a state of relaxation by Him's strokes down her hair.

It must have been but a few hours later, but Bubbles was blinked out of her relaxed state when she felt Him's claw trail from her hair to her shoulder, and down her bare side. She shuddered, biting her lip, and hoping like hell He wouldnt go any lower than that. Lucky enough for her, Him stopped just at her side and trailed His claw back up to her hair again.

Finally, Him turned off the television and tapped on her shoulder. "Lunch time," He said, shifting her up off of His lap. Bubbles stood up to follow, only then becoming aware that the dress she had been wearing was now gone. Blushing up a storm, Bubbles followed Him down the hall into the dining room, where she found the Sudoku still on her spot on the floor. Taking that as a hint to finish it, Bubbles knelt down and picked up the pen, eating only small mouthfuls of food as she scratched down numbers, scribbled them out, then redrew them back in, growing more and more frustrated with the stupid puzzle.

She wasnt even aware that Him had finished His meal and was leaving until He had to drag her away from the Sudoku. "You'll have time for that at supper," He said. Bubbles flushed with embarrassment and followed Him down another unknown hallway until they came to another large set of double doors. Him opened them, and Bubbles saw that she was in a study of some sort. Him strolled over to the large black desk and sat down, looking at an 'In' box with distaste. He pointed to the floor. "Sit," He commanded. Bubbles did as she was told, and stared up at Him, amazed and amused when Him put on a pair of narrow-lensed specs and picked the top envelope from the 'In' box.

This went on for almost an hour, and Bubbles must have vocalized her boredom because Him lowered the letter He was currently reading and stared down at her. Bubbles stared back up, suddenly afraid that she had done something to warrant a punishment or an extra day of petitude. Instead, Him lowered a few sheets of paper, a pen, and an ink well down to her. "Here," He said. "Amuse yourself; this is going to take at least a few hours." Bubbles stared at the paper and ink for a few moments before picking up the pen to scribble down some random doodles.

Indeed, about three more hours had passed, and Bubbles was surprised to see that, even though Him didnt look her way again, her supply of ink and paper had not yet run out. She had already doodled a stack of drawings that consisted of mostly her sisters, the professor, random animals and plants, and even a little doodle of Mojo ranting on about something. She was currently adding the final scratchy details to a picture when she heard a soft clearing of a throat. She looked up to see Him staring down at her, grinning. Bubbles then realized that while she had been absorbed into her drawings, she had switched positions so she was lying on her stomach, her legs swinging behind her, and she was etching a picture of Him. She blushed as Him picked up the picture and stared at it.

"...The resemblance is striking," He commented. Bubbles had drawn Him reclining cross-legged in midair, grinning at a non-existent something that was off the page. Bubbles sat up, blushing harder. Him lowered the picture to His desk and reached down to pet her head. "Such a talented pet I have," He murmured. "You just might get something special for dessert if you keep playing those cards right." He looked at her expectantly, then Bubbles got the hint.

"...Thank you, Master," she said. Him's grin broadened.

"Good girl," He said. He stood up and stretched. "Ugh, I do hate replying to mail..." He put on a high, patronizing voice. "Give me this, take that, help me with this, get rid of her... Bitch, bitch, bitch, that's all they ever are...all they ever do" He looked back down at Bubbles. "Well, off we go. Just leave it on the floor, Pet." Bubbles stood, leaving her drawings and ink on the floor, and followed Him out of the study. "Mmm...I could use a nice bath right now...answering everyone's little problems certainly takes a lot out of me..."

He led them down the hall and back to His room, where Bubbles just stood there as Him walked over to the bathroom and shut the door behind Him. Not knowing what else to do, Bubbles sat down on the floor at the foot of the bed, deftly playing with a strand of her hair. It wasnt long until she heard Him call for her from the bathroom.

"Bubbles, pet!" He called through the closed doors, making her look up. "Do come in here for a moment, would you?" Bubbles blinked, then stood up and walked into the bathroom, staring. It had changed...instead of the black marble from last night, instead it was red and pink colored with matching candles lit everywhere. Him was reclining in a large white old-fashioned-styled bathtub filled with foamy pink bubbles. Him hadnt removed His makeup, as He was apparently just soaking in the tub for now, and He was grinning at her. He gestured her over with a claw. "Please," He said, His voice low and almost seductive. "Join me."

Bubbles felt a rush of cold run over her as she shakily obeyed, walking over slowly. She was only fractionally relieved to see that not only were the bubbles in the tub thick enough not to show anything she didnt want to see, but the tub was also big enough so they could both recline and not touch one another. She stopped at the edge of the tub for a moment before stepping over the rim of it and easing in. The water was a little too hot for her tastes, but she ignored it as she sat down on the bottom of the tub, the water coming all the way up over her breasts, thank God. Him grinned at her.

"Nice, isnt it?" He asked. Bubbles squirmed uncomfortably.

"...Sure, Master," she finally said, blushing. Him's grin only broadened.

"Good," He replied. His eyes glowed green a little. "Now tell me what you really think..." Bubbles stared at Him. Was this a trick question? She didnt think so. She heaved a sigh.

"...To tell the truth, Master," she said, putting a bite on the last word, "...I dont feel entirely comfortable." She squirmed a little more as Him stared her down, His eyes seeming to glow brighter by the moment.

"I know," He finally replied. "But that's hardly the point, isnt it?" He leaned back in the water, and Bubbles saw one of His knees rise over the surface of the water as He reclined. "The point is, we're both relaxing in a nice hot bath...the very least you can do is try to enjoy yourself..." He purred and stretched out under the water. "I do enjoy company, you know...especially in nice, relaxing momentssss...."

Bubbles let out a yelp when she felt Him's leg rub against her calf, and nearly jumped out of the tub. Him smirked, drawing His leg back. "Jumpy, are we?" He asked. Bubbles just flushed and pressed her back against the wall of the tub, drawing her legs up so her knees were folded against her chest. "Relax, Bubbles pet, I was just joking..." Him laughed, sitting back up in the tub again. "You're too...tenssssse...." Bubbles shuddered. "You need to relax..." He suddenly vanished and Bubbles blinked before she felt two arms wrap around her, and felt a warm chest against her back.

Bubbles yelp again and flailed around, splashing water everywhere in a bid to get away.

"STOP THAT."

Him's strong command made her stop immediately. She sat shaking in the water as Him's arms pulled her to His chest, one of His claws playing with her hair. "Much better," He purred. "You need to learn how to relax, Bubbles, dear pet...otherwise, you might slip up--" Here, His claw pulled out a few strands of her hair, making her meep. "--And do something that'll warrant a punishment..."

Bubbles gulped, knowing what Him was saying between the lines; be a submissive bitch, and things will go smoothly. And He was right; if she did freak out every time He touched her, for whatever reason, she would be punished. Hell, even hitting Him might warrant an extra week! Bubbles bit her lip, resisting the urge to cry, and forced herself to relax in Him's hold on her. Him grinned and played with her hair again.

"Good girl."

The rest of the evening was a blur; Bubbles didnt even know if she had finished that Sudoku puzzle that kept pissing her off. She didnt even know what she had eaten for dinner. But she was finally aware of her surroundings at bed time, when she felt Him rearrange the blankets on her and pet her hair gently.

"Such a good pet I have," He said, grinning down at her. Bubbles saw that He had taken off His makeup for the night, and she buried her face in her pillow. She heard Him chuckle to Himself. "Nighty night, Bubbles, pet," He said, leaning down to give her a kiss on her head. Bubbles shuddered, and wrapped her blankets tighter around herself as she felt Him slide into bed and turn off the lights.

For about an hour after she was sure Him was asleep, Bubbles kept repeating the same thing to herself; 'It's just five more days. Just five more days. Just five more days...'

Whew...*sigh* Up next comes more evil and darknessnes!