Karina's preferred location for studying isn't her apartment or even Stern Bild University's main library. It's Barnaby's ridiculously minimalist condo. The distractions are few (as long as Kotetsu's not around) and the selection of snacks in his kitchen is far superior to hers.

As if on cue, Barnaby strolls in, bowl of strawberries in hand. He pointedly ignores her outstretched arm and slides into the lone seat in the room, where he immediately pops one in his mouth. The juice from the fruit stains his lips a darker shade of pink, and Karina's not sure if she wants to taste the fruit first or lick his mouth clean. When it becomes obvious that he has no intention of sharing, Karina decides to help herself to them, polite requests be damned. Tossing her notes aside, she gets up off the floor and plants herself on his lap before attempting to steal a strawberry. However, her efforts are ultimately futile, as he lifts the bowl over his head and suspends it in the air inches above her fingers.

"So mean," Karina pouts as she pokes him in the side but Barnaby remains unmoved.

"You can have some if you'll answer a question for me."

There's only one way to respond to such an unfair demand. Karina assumes a melodramatic pose, tilting her head away and lifting the back of her hand to her forehead, pretending to faint. "Oh Bunny, I swear you're the biggest one," she moans mockingly.

"That I already know." Barnaby's grin is unabashedly smug. A few years ago she probably would've wanted to smack it off his face. Now she simply leans into him and kisses it away. His lips part under her assault, and the taste of strawberries and him explode on her tongue. When Karina finally pulls back, she finds Barnaby looking at her in a bemused manner and the bowl within easy reach.

The question comes as she's biting into a ripe fruit. "So what did that man in the park say to you?"

Suddenly all playfulness drains out of her. It's not because his question is an uncomfortable reminder of the incident. On the contrary she hasn't stopped thinking about it, and of the new and strange desires that seem to have invaded her mind. Her gaze slides away from Barnaby's, sweeping over to the bright flower print behind him. "Why do you want to know?" she asks quietly.

"You've been acting rather strange since it happened." His thumb slides back and forth over the inside of her wrist in a reassuring motion. "It's clear that something's bothering you."

Her heart beats a little faster at the realization that she's given herself away. Karina wants to say that nothing's wrong but one look at Barnaby is enough to convince her that he won't settle for anything less than the truth. So she tries for a small part of it. "Just the usual stuff. He wanted me to scream at him, make him lick my boots."

One pale eyebrow lifts in response when she falls silent. "That's it?"

Seconds tick by before Karina's shoulders slump in defeat. "No." Wrapping her arms around herself, she slides off his lap and slowly walks over to the windows. Somehow it's easier to make her confession to Barnaby's reflection than to the man himself. "He wanted me to tie him up. And," here she exhales heavily before continuing, "he wanted me to sit on his face and...make him..." Warmth creeps up her neck, spreads over her cheeks and now she's annoyed with herself for acting like a blushing virgin ready to have a nervous breakdown at the very idea of sex. "Look, I don't need to go into all the details. Let's just say he wanted me to do some not so nice things to him, okay?"

Barnaby's reflection watches her thoughtfully. "And you liked the idea."

The thought of lying briefly flashes through her mind but she instantly discards it. "I- I wasn't completely disgusted by what he told me. Now it's all I can think of and it's just so...confusing," she finishes weakly.

"So what's the problem?" When Karina spins around, too shocked to do more than stare dumbly at him, he gives her an indifferent shrug. "If you want to try out a few new kinks, I don't see why we couldn't."

"But...you're not...I don't know..." She makes a vague motion with her hands. "Freaked out or something?"

"Not at all. And I don't think Kotetsu will either, but we'll need to walk him through the idea first." Barnaby boots up his laptop and starts tapping away at the keyboard. "We can do some preliminary research, figure out what works for you and what doesn't." He directs her attention to the wall in front of him, where the screen flickers to life. "You might want to start with figuring out what you'd like to wear. Could help you get into the mood," he adds, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

Karina resists the urge to stick her tongue out at him for his teasing and slowly drifts over to the screen. "Your enthusiasm is a little scary. I hope you know that." She scans the array of leather corsets displayed in front of her. "They're so..." She pauses, twirling a lock of hair around a finger as she struggles to find the right word.

"Sexy?"

She looks over her shoulder back at him. "Maybe too much?"

He looks slightly surprised at that. "You have a problem with sexy?"

"I know what you're thinking but it's not the same as being Blue Rose. My costume's more for fanservice, so it's not very intimidating." She approaches the screen and scrutinizes the detail on one of the corsets more closely. "This is...more aggressive, I guess. Something a villain might wear." Karina finally turns around and finds him struggling to hide a smile. "What?"

"You could think of it as playing another character. An evil Blue Rose from an alternate dimension."

She rolls her eyes at his suggestion, but when her gaze returns to the screen she adds thigh-high leather boots. Elbow-length black leather gloves. A leather crop in place of her guns.

Maybe, Karina thinks, and tries to ignore the tiny flicker of excitement that comes to life inside her.

They wait until Kotetsu's on his second beer before springing the idea on him. He's not completely opposed to it, as Karina had feared. But he's not that excited about it either.

"I just don't get it," Kotetsu whines as he knocks the bottle against the kitchen counter. "Is there something we're not doing for you?"

Karina throws Barnaby, who's nursing a glass of wine across from them, a sidelong glance before answering. "Not at all. I just wanted to try something new. Not that I'm bored," she hastens to add when she sees his face fall in disappointment, "you guys are absolutely amazing." Reaching for his hand, Karina threads her fingers through his. "If this isn't something you'd want to do, then we can just forget it."

"I didn't say I wasn't okay with it," Kotetsu responds, squeezing her hand in return before letting go. "Just shocked is all." Snaking his free arm around her waist, he pulls her in close. "But if you really want to do this, then I'm all in," he says before leaning in to brush his lips against hers. Karina melts into his embrace, the kiss making her toes curl and the air rush out of her lungs until she's breathless and dizzy with desire.

Barnaby cuts in just as Kotetsu starts inching her skirt up. "Before you two start taking your clothes off, we should probably work out a few details."

Kotetsu pulls away from her and gives her a crooked smile. "That's our Bunny. Always a mood-killer." Turning to Barnaby, he asks, "Is all this planning really necessary? Doesn't she just tell us what to do? What's so hard about that?"

As it turns out, there are a number of things to negotiate. Collars are acceptable. Whips are not. "Don't like 'em," Kotetsu mumbles, a haunted look creeping into his eyes. Barnaby reaches out and tenderly cups his hand around the back of Kotetsu's neck in sympathy as he bends down to whisper something in his ear. There's a story behind this that Karina's not privy to. She wants to pry but realizes that now is not the time.

Once they've all agreed on limits and safewords, Barnaby slides a sheet of paper across the counter towards her. "We're going to need these. Would you like me to get them or would you rather do it yourself?"

Karina worries her bottom lip between her teeth as she reads over the list. Picking out her vibrator, her lone sex-related purchase to date, had been nerve-wracking enough, even with the anonymity provided by online shopping. She's tempted to take up Barnaby on his offer. However, it would be a poor first step for someone who wants to experiment with being more dominant.

"I'll take care of it," she says, nodding determinedly as she folds up the paper and tucks it into her jacket pocket.