Negotiations
Senior Year: After chapter 4
(updated: 5/27/16)
"If that's what my Mistress wishes."
Oh shit, oh shit, oh fucking shit! Keep it together Ruby. Keep it together! Ruby yelled at herself, so shocked that her usual lack of profanity was completely lost. Damn it, get that goofy ass smile off your face! This isn't the time. She just submitted. That means I should be in Domme mode. Shit, she's waiting for my answer!
She just fucking submitted! Her mind repeated, trying to grasp the new reality. Did she just yell that? No, she was managing, somehow, to keep her mental turmoil from escaping her mouth. She did it, and I didn't expect it. I mean, I thought she'd be interested enough to learn more, maybe do another scene to see if she really wanted to do it. Well, at least do the negotiations this time. That'll give her an idea of what she's walking into...
Wait, she needs an answer!
Blinking once, Ruby decided on that answer quickly. Surprisingly the thought-spiral only lasted a few seconds, despite the amount of blathering that had gone into it. "I do, but lets get the negotiations out of the way first this time, my pet."
Yes, the negotiations. It would give Weiss a true idea of what was happening, what she was getting herself into, and what Ruby was like in this regard. Letting Weiss see that side of her again scared her, but she used that fear; redirecting it to give the impression of control that would fit the scene and her role in it.
Negotiations are a scene within themselves, or they could be. Especially the first one if it was going to be a long standing relationship. By necessity they were going to be longer as they hit on every subject that could fit in the category of kinky.
She wanted privacy for this discussion, so first the little sign on the door that declared that need had to be placed. The one she'd forgotten when Weiss had caught her with Nora. "We will need privacy for this pet. Place one of your socks on the doorknob."
Ah, the armor that comes from being Dominant. She instantly felt more comfortable as she assumed that role, the jittery nerves forgotten.
"Yes Mistress."
Their friends were going to assume they were having sex when they found that sock. It was one of the reasons she hadn't put one on the doorknob with Nora. The difference was last time she didn't want anyone to know about Nora. This time she didn't care who knew. Weiss was hers. That was something to be proud of, not to hide.
Weiss seemed eager to put the sock on as well, though Ruby guessed it was for different reasons. She moved quickly with one of Ruby's bright red socks then came back. She looked nervous, which was only to be expected. Hopefully the negotiations would ease those nerves.
"We're going to start with the basics pet, since this is your first time. Get comfy, this might take a while." That was not necessarily true between two experienced players, but Weiss wasn't. She would need to have many things explained. It could go the exact opposite direction as well though. Being inexperienced she could cut out most of the fine details by setting an entire concept, like bondage, as a hard limit.
Her pet didn't waste any time as she stretched out on her bottom bunk. Ruby was definitely a Domme, but she was a loving one. She crawled into bed with Weiss, and set her lap under Weiss's head as a pillow. Looking down, she smiled with the sweet innocence that was her hallmark. The romantic position seemed to have the calming effect Ruby hoped for.
"We'll start with Roles. We're already acting them out, to a degree, pet," Ruby said. "I like to be Dominant in the bedroom, as you already know, but I consider that to be the end of it. In the 'real world' I want to be your equal. What do you think of that?"
Looking up, Weiss's smile appeared to relax even further. "If that's what my Mistress wishes."
Well, that was unexpected. Weiss had become too submissive, if that was possible, in the span of a few sentences. "I asked what you wanted pet, not for you to say what you think I want to hear. Try again."
Weiss made a sour face. "I don't really know what I want is the problem. Just the bedroom to start, definitely, for right now. I... I don't want the others to know."
"I don't either, and it's none of their business." Weiss nodded happily at Ruby's confirmation. "So, what level of submission are you looking for? Do you simply want me to take the lead, or do you want to be completely Dominated?"
Ruby knew what she wanted, but she hoped by making Weiss answer first she'd get her true desire. This was particularly important with this question. She had a good idea of what Weiss would want, and it wasn't nearly as extreme as Ruby craved.
"What level was it last time? I need a point of reference... uh... Mistress."
Maybe the correction from the last question had woken her up some. The sub was still running the show in Weiss's head, but she was also starting to be more of a participant to the discussion.
"Let's call that the middle of the road. I was in control, and I was doing mostly anything I wanted, but I was also careful. I didn't push too hard. I didn't bring out any of the toys, and I didn't punish you when you were bad."
"I was bad Mistress?"
A smile curled Ruby's lips as she remembered fondly Weiss's will crumbling last time. Weiss couldn't help but see it as she looked up, and the slight edge of menace contained in it. "You moved when I ordered you not to."
"I couldn't help it!" Weiss cried in instant defensive indignation. "I tried with everything I had not to. It wasn't fair."
The smile turned into a chuckle. "It wasn't meant to be fair. It was meant to be a challenge, and you failed it."
"But I don't want to be punished for something like that!" At last, a real opinion. This is what should be going into a negotiation.
Nodding her approval, Ruby clarified what she had just heard. "So being punished for not being able to succeed in a test you can't win is a limit. Would you consider that a hard limit, or a soft one?"
Weiss thought about if for a second, possibly to remember the difference. "A hard one Mistress."
"Okay, then I won't punish you for failing those situations," Ruby said agreeably. It wasn't a big loss. She hadn't said no to Ruby putting her in unwinnable situations, just not to punish her for failing. Nor had she rejected the idea of being punished completely. Ruby could work with that.
"Lets get back to the original question though. Would you prefer me to be more or less Dominant next time?" To ease Weiss's worries, Ruby reassuringly added, "There isn't a wrong answer here, and you aren't locked into it for the rest of our relationship. Anything in these negotiations can be changed before any future scenes."
That appeared to ease Weiss's mind. "I think I liked how it was last time. Can we keep it about the same for now?"
Ruby couldn't have stopped the smile if she wanted to. True, Ruby would love to have been even more Dominant than last time, but she had expected Weiss to dial it down. "I'm happy with that," she said unnecessarily.
"Now that's just in general. We are going to refine it some. I think it's obvious you do not have an issue calling me Mistress now?"
"I don't know why, but it feels right. When you look at me like that, and sound like that, calling you Ruby just feels wrong. You're... different."
Astute. Ruby felt different when she was like this. This was her darker self. She had feared it at first. She hadn't wanted to acknowledge this side of her existed even too herself. She'd done all she could to show only innocence, both inside where only she could see, and out. Not even when she was out killing in the field did she acknowledge the darkness. This darkness was wrong, as far as she understood it at the time.
Now... now she got an electric thrill at letting this Ruby, this Dominant woman with the evil smile, out. BDSM was the perfect outlet, and from what she'd seen Friday Weiss was going to be the perfect willing victim.
"And what about me calling you pet?" Ruby prompted.
"It makes me feel different when you do. It feels demeaning, but loving at the same time," Weiss said, her voice soft and low, and starting to drip with her need to be subjugated. "I don't get it, but it helps me think of you as my Mistress, and thinking of you as my Mistress helps me feel like a loved pet."
Ruby had started petting Weiss's hair, much like she would a pet of the four legged variety. "My very loved pet," Ruby agreed. She didn't think she could put that cycle in better words herself, which wasn't surprising. Weiss was the smarter one in a book sense.
Getting up, Ruby kneeled under her desk. She pulled out the bag in the hidden compartment she'd build into it with Nora's help. It wasn't a big bag. She didn't have a lot of room to hide stuff from her roommates. Her 'normal' toys, like her vibrator, was under her mattress. Hidden, but easily found. Who really cared if anyone saw it though? She was sure the other three had them too, somewhere.
No, this was her toy bag. Toys that would be embarrassing to her if people saw them. The ones that would show everyone her dark half. "What is that Ruby... I mean Mistress?"
"Call me what feels comfortable right now pet," she told Weiss. This was an interesting trick Nora had taught her. It simultaneously told Weiss that she could do what she wanted, yet told her Ruby was still the one in control because she had given her that permission. "And this is my toy bag," she answered.
She placed the bag on top of her desk and unzipped it. The first item she pulled out was a cat o' nine tails, each tail thicker than what was standards with red roses made of leather on each tip. It was the start of her collection and a gift from Nora. Given Weiss's animosity (she was going to have to remember that word!) towards Nora, Ruby decided she wouldn't mention where she got it. She knew the leather worker who had made it. She had the idea to have the roses changed to white ones. Weiss's body was the only body it would ever be used on again. White roses seemed much more appropriate to her.
After stroking the cat a couple of times fondly at the thought, she reached back into the bag. A flogger, a wooden paddle, two clothes pins, a couple of candles, a pair of handcuffs, and a tens unit followed in rapid succession. All of these were basic and unadorned, but very effective in their various roles. Some of them were self explanatory even to someone not familiar with the game, others were going to need explained to Weiss when she was ready to know.
Then the last item in the bag was pulled: Slapper. Slapper was of her own invention combining three different toys into one. It started with a three-eighths inch wooden dowel, hardened with the use of dust. It served as both a handle for the other two toys as well as for a good cane. On one end a hole was drilled which held a six inch leather string. Such a simple item that could cause so much pain when used as a lash. That string was held in place on one end with a knot and the other end was held by nothing, allowing for easy removal so it wouldn't get in the way of the first toy. The other end of the dowel had a thick but flexible piece of leather that measured about two inches by four inches. This is the end that gave slapper it's name, since its aplication on skin both felt and sounded exactly like a slap on the skin.
The creative mind that had made Crescent Rose was anticipating the day when she had the workspace and privacy needed to turn it towards her darker pastime. Slapper was going to be a laughable start to that hobby.
Weiss's eyes grew wider, and more afraid, with each item as Ruby pulled them out. Ruby wished she had enough room to fit a cast-iron skillet. Ruby had nearly pissed herself when Nora had pulled one out of her toy bag, and Nora had nearly died laughing at her reaction. The shock was its only purpose in being there.
As a finale she got up from her desk and headed for her closet. The item she was looking for was placed in with her field gear to camouflage it's true purpose: rope. It was her favorite toy in the bunch without peer. There was at least twenty pieces in her collection of various lengths. The way it was coiled it was hard to tell from a distance that it wasn't still the one-hundered foot length it had begun as when purchased. The tips were carefully tucked into the underside where they didn't show. Each end was color coded to indicate what length it was.
Ruby did have more toys, but they were all stored at Deviations; a members only club that catered to her particular lifestyle. This was her travel stash though, and enough to get Weiss at least started and familiarized with the basics.
While rope was her favorite, she honestly didn't have a preference for the other instruments of pain and confinement she had presented. It all depended on how her pet reacted to them. The more her pet enjoyed them the more Ruby did as well. Unless her pet was being bad of course. Then Ruby's preferences reversed.
"You have an odd idea of toys Mistress... I mean Ruby... No, definitely Mistress," Her pet fumbled as she decided which suited the situation. "You have an odd idea of toys Mistress," she repeated more confidently.
Ruby chuckled to herself. "These are only the basics pet, but they will be very good for playing with your body." She eyed Weiss's reaction to those words. The first thing her lover's eyes went to was the flogger and the cat, switching between the two rapidly. That was the two she was the most afraid of then. Not too surprising. "I can't wait to show you the kinky stuff."
Weiss's sharp intake of breath was the best reward for that promise Ruby could have asked for.
"Do you think any of these toys are a hard limit?" Ruby figured it was a coin flip between the cat and the flogger. She wasn't going to argue the point either way. She was sure they would become soft limits later, then not limited at all once she was really comfortable. In her case it had only taken a couple of weeks of playing with Nora before it seemed silly to not use them.
Ruby was surprised however when with a near whisper Weiss said "The clothes pins, Mistress," as she reflexively moved her arms to cover her small breasts. Replaying Weiss's initial reaction Ruby realized she'd misread her lover. While her eyes had gone to the two toys as Ruby had noted, what she missed was how quick and thoroughly Weiss's eyes had avoided looking at the clothes pins. Well, no Domme was perfect. That's why these negotiations were so important.
It was a good hard limit for Weiss to choose given just how over-sensitive her nipples were, but only if you already knew what they were used for. She had never had a plan to use them because of that. In the future she may use a set of actual nipple clamps that were adjustable for the amount of pressure they administered, and only after a lot of toying with those pink buds to prepare them.
"A good choice pet, but I'm curious how you knew that."
Weiss answered the implied question with a great deal of embarrassment. "Uh, I saw a picture once... I like my nipples p-played with so I tried it." Unconsciously Weiss began hugging her breasts tighter as if to protect them from the remembered pain. Yes, this was definitely a hard limit. It went well beyond the physical and into the mental torture it had caused. The amount of distress Weiss showed told Ruby the event was far more traumatic than the simple explaination implied. She also knew Weiss wasn't ready to talk about it yet.
Leaning forward in her seat Ruby softly stroked the side of her cheek lovingly. Her eyes showed sympathy as her Domme mask completely disappeared for the moment. "It's okay Weiss. I don't want to hurt you, not really. Remember, it's just a game and I want us both to have fun playing it, okay?"
Weiss's eyes looked up with unshed tears, then nodded as she tried to let go of that memory. "Thanks Ruby."
"No problem," she smiled down. Then Ruby flipped the mental switch and the Domme came back to the fore. "Now pet, are there any others that you consider a hard limit right away?"
Slowly Weiss shook her head no. "I don't think I'll like most of them, but I trust my Mistress's judgment."
Ruby excepted that as the absolute truth. Weiss had proven her trust the first time they had played, and again today by not holding Friday's mistakes against her. "What about soft limits? The ones you're worried about and think will be a bad experience for you?"
"Honestly?" Weiss asked, a small amount of humor showing. "All of them." Weiss paused, looking over the items Ruby had laid out on the desk. "Maybe the rope and the paddle aren't limited. I think I might l-like them."
From what Ruby had seen before as she learned Weiss's body Friday, 'like' was going to prove to be an understatement. "Then I'll keep those two out. I'll put the rest away until later, and we can discuss them at length before I use them."
"Is there anything else you can think of that you would want as either a hard or soft limit?"
"I don't know. That scat thing for sure, or anything like it for that matter," Weiss said. "I bet there's some people who like pee too, right?"
"Yeah, golden showers. Its more common than scat actually."
"Yuck. Let's just say nothing that involves bodily fluids is a hard limit. I can just use my safe word if you try something weird that I didn't even know was a thing, right?"
With a nod Ruby agreed. "It breaks up the flow of a scene a bit. I'll try to let you know something new is coming before the scene starts so you have a chance to limit it."
Ruby switched gears slightly, starting to ask more specific questions about the items Ruby wanted to do in the next scene, so she knew whether they were options or not. "How about punishment? I know you don't want to be punished for something you had no control over, but what about something you did purposely?"
Weiss was obviously confused by that. "Like what?"
"Well, what if I told you not to talk, and you did anyways? Or if you were rude to me during a scene?" Silently Ruby hoped she'd allow for either. She really wanted a brat, but that was Weiss's decision, not hers.
That didn't seem to relieve Weiss's confusion, just changed its focus from what Ruby meant to what Weiss wanted. "I guess... I mean it is a game right? You call me pet, I call you Mistress. A bad pet should be punished... That makes sense but..."
"Is your pride getting in the way here?" Ruby asked shrewdly.
"Well yes. I'm not a child that needs to get spanked!" Weiss said with controlled outrage.
Ruby looked into Weiss's eyes, trying to convey the next set of words with the unparalleled force of her Dominant self. "Punishments aren't all bad. Some subs do bad things on purpose because they like to get punished, and other's do bad things because they can't accept a weak Dom and want to have that strength proven. Others won't try to do anything wrong in the first place because they want to serve and be the perfect submissive. They want to be punished if they don't meet their Mistress's standards so they know where they need to improve and take pride when they don't need to be punished at all.
"Punishment isn't a needed part of the game though. Some submissives play their role perfectly, never getting or wanting to be punished. I do have a single limit when it comes to this. I won't play if I can't punish you when you choose to act out."
Her lover's blue eyes were registering shock as they returned Ruby's gaze. "But..." and her voice trailed off, her emotions trying to come to grips with what she wanted.
"Beyond that limit it's your decision pet. That's what negotiations are all about."
Ruby leaned back into her chair and waited for Weiss to work through her thoughts. Ruby started to get anxious as the minutes ticked by, but she remained impassive externally, refusing to betray those emotions and possibly influence Weiss's decision.
After at least five minutes Weiss's voice finally returned, "I want a soft limit on spankings, but otherwise I will trust my Mistress's decisions on the consequences for being a bad pet." Weiss's eyes became determined, her voice filled with strength, "but I will become the perfect pet and you won't need to punish me unless I want to be."
Weiss was starting to get it, Ruby realized. She was beginning to understand the amount of control she had. That being the submissive did not mean she had to be weak. In fact Ruby's perfect submissive would be strong and confident, knowing that she can please her Mistress. The combination of Weiss's strong personality and her adding "unless I want to be" at the end was further proof that Weiss was going to be more perfect than Ruby had dreamed even after their first scene together, and that had already been awe inspiring to her.
Ruby blushed for a second in a very un-Domme like manner. Weiss's change in demeanor reminded her of the item she hadn't pulled out yet. Would she be rushing things to pull it out now? Probably, but much like her semblance moving too fast was both her strength and her weakness.
She started putting away the toys as she had promised, but left the bag on her desk. Instead she opened up one of the desk drawers and pulled out a simple red cloth collar. On its front was a silver plaque, with the words "pet in training" and her emblem placed on either side. On the side of the collar there was an emergency release clip, and a standard buckle on the back.
"Collars are an important symbol. Different Dominants use them in different ways, but they always proclaim a pet is in service of the Dom who gave it to them," Ruby said, trying to keep the trembling out of her voice. "This is my training collar. It says you're still learning from me, and there is nothing permanent between us yet. At any point a scene can end by taking it off, and returning it to me will end your service to me. Will you accept it pet?"
Weiss looked at is suspiciously. "No one else will see me wear it?"
"Not unless you want to show it off."
With a sniff Weiss grabbed the collar possessively. "Not likely."
Ruby decided to save negotiating any voyeuristic acts for the day Weiss was ready to go to Deviations. For now there was no point when it was so obviously going to be a hard limit.
"I'm your Mistress," Ruby affirmed, "so I am the one who puts it on you before a scene, understood?"
"Yes Mistress," Weiss said with pride. The uncertainty of what she was getting herself into was still there, but Ruby knew Weiss was going to give it her all now.
Getting up, Ruby moved to stand before her pet. "I have one last question. Do you mind if I leave any marks where no one can see when you're dressed?"
Marks made Ruby excited. It was a very primal reaction, each mark showed her ownership of her pet. Even on Nora, who she didn't own and never had in any way, she had that reaction. When she had accidentally left a hickey on Weiss the reaction was well beyond any mark she had left on her last lover. What would real marks be like? The thought alone was almost too erotic to resist.
Weiss clearly didn't understand fully what kind of marks Ruby was talking about, but answered, "just make sure I can heal them with Aura after." That was disappointing to a degree, but an understandable limit. If Weiss found she didn't like them she could easily remove them, much like that hickey. And if she did like them she could keep them until it disappeared naturally, much like Weiss's decision on keeping that hickey.
"Okay," Ruby agreed, then held a hand out, palm up. The negotiations, for now, were done. She would only use what had been covered by them in this scene. Weiss placed the collar in Ruby's hand without a word, and lifted her chin with the same pride she had shown before, giving Ruby the access needed to put it in place.
"You were bad earlier pet," Ruby advised, setting the tone of the scene as soon as the collar was secured.
Her pet didn't seem to know how to react, her expression confused. "I was Mistress?"
"Who's sock is on the door knob?" Ruby asked.
Weiss had to think about it for a second. Ruby let her. "Yours Mistress."
"And who's did I order you to place on it?" She'd been holding onto this from the moment she noticed, hoping that Weiss would allow punishments during the negotiations. If they had been acting as equals at the time Ruby wouldn't have used it at all, but Weiss had clearly said Mistress, Ruby had clearly called her pet, and putting the sock on had clearly been an order. That disobedience was fair game.
The defeated look Weiss gave proved she realized her mistake. "Mine."
"Right." Ruby licked her lips with a victorious smile, picturing which marks she planned to leave. "So how should I punish my pet?"
Punishment was such a fun way to start a scene, but Weiss was saved, for the time being, by Yang's impatient knocking. "Hey love birds, some of us want to sleep you know!"
