Which one?

  I don't know…

  Why can't you pick for me, Melody? Ugh… let's see…

  Do I want an intense, stinging pain, or a spread out pain? Can I say both? Or rather, can I try both? Melody asked me to choose one though. Okay, thinking time. The flogger is probably less intense, better for a first experience, regardless of how horny I am right now. I think.

  But also I kinda want to feel that isoted stinging pain. That feels more like a whip. The flogger is just like… a spanking… but… uh… in whip form? Counterpoint, the flogger is braided, which means it'll leave braid marks… possibly… That sounds like it'd be really pretty. Probably why Melody has it. She wants to see the braids. I do too.

  Yeah, I don't know. It'll obviously be painful, especially with the braids. Probably less than the single-tail whip though. Not that pain really matters. I wonder what Melody wants to use? Maybe I can just ask for both? That way I'll make sure to experience the one she wants? I honestly think that's… like just start with some flogging and then a little bit of whipping and then yeah. "Can we… start with the flogger? And, the other one ter?"

  "Of course." Melody agreed instantly, before grabbing both whips off of my p and tossing the single tail to the side while she toyed with the flogger in her hands. After lightly hitting her own hands a few times, she gnced up at me. "One st thing, ears."

  Of course. Can't be a puppy without ears. Perfectly normal.

  Melody walked over to her closet before returning with more detailed than expected puppy ears and the two pairs of fluffy pink cuffs. The ears were bck, but the inner part had a bunch of white hairs and some barely visible pink shading on the inside. Much more detailed than the cat ears I've been wearing.

  After setting everything other than the headband down, Melody leaned over and slipped the ears on my head. I'm a puppy now. Woof.

  After puppyifying me, Melody picked up the cuffs, grabbed my wrists, which were lying by my sides, and brought them in front of me. Holding my wrists together, she attached the cuffs with zero wiggle room in between them, their chain having been shortened to literally nothing. My paws were officially stuck together.

  I need some mitts. Might be fun to go full puppy or cat mode sometime. Throw on a full suit too, what are those called again? Bitch suits? Why's it so explicit? Just call them puppy suits. Wait. Bitches are dogs. Female dogs. I'm stupid.

  "Slide back," Melody ordered as she took a step away from the bed, still with a pair of cuffs in her hands.

  I obeyed, ying down and worming myself backwards until the entirety of my legs were on top of Melody's bed, when she said, "Stop."

  As soon as I stopped moving, Melody continued the bitchifying process by grabbing my ankles, which were still protected by my socks, and fastened the second set of cuffs on them. Again, the cuffs had been shortened to leave no space in between, locking my legs together.

  Once more, Melody stepped back and admired her work well-done, before delivering an ominous smile. "Comfy?"

  I nodded, of course. And I was pretty comfy. Melody's bed was nice and soft, my hands—sorry, paws were resting on my belly, held together by the insanely fluffy cuffs, and my ankles were feeling a little ticklish, but nothing unbearable with my limited clothes protecting from the raw fluff.

  Satisfied with my response, Melody picked the flogger back up, tightly gripping her hands around the handle. After a few slow swishes in the air, which totally didn't make my heart race like crazy, she brought it over toward my body, holding it just high enough that the braided strands were out of my toes' reach. I stared up at her. She grinned.

  Suddenly, her hand flicked downwards, emitting a barely audible whoosh as the flogger's strands struck the top of my socked feet, eliciting a small yelp, more from shock than pain. The sting only sted a split second—Melody used almost no force on her blow. Probably testing the waters.

  When my eyes returned to hers, having momentarily dropped to my feet, Melody's grin was unchanged. If anything, her grin only widened. Momentarily, she pulled the flogger away and pced her left hand on top of my right foot, giving it a comforting rub. "Not too bad?"

  I nodded, my mind nearly sinking into the warmth of her hand. "It was fine—"

  Abruptly, Melody's hand vanished and she swung her flogger down, cutting off the end of my phrase. Again, the yelp was more from the unexpectedness than the sensation itself. The flog was still far too gentle to cause real pain to my cd foot.

  A second ter, the flogger was repced by her hand, caressing the top of my foot, giving it a gentle massage. I sighed. Melody massages. Man, that would be heavenly. Melody massaging me… I want to massage Melody too. That would be fun. Hopefully I don't let her down. Add it to the list! One day it shall happen.

  After the brief rest, Melody's hand left and drew my unseeing vision back towards my feet, then up to her. The moment we locked eyes, the flogger flew down again. A little harder this time, creating a stinging sensation that sted twice as long along with a much more audible swish. And to be extra cruel, Melody waited twice as long before bringing her hand back, providing a brief touch as she slid her palm from my toes down to my ankles.

  The moment her hand bumped my cuffs, it vanished and was repced with another swing of the flogger, repcing her warmth with yet another sting, even more intense than the st. Still very bearable given the protection. However this round of stinging felt more piercing than the st, whether from the strength of the hit or the location, I don't really know. I do know that the rest of my body was fading as I focused more and more on the lingering pain in my feet and… Melody watching me from above, smiling.

  And then her soothing touch came again, a balm chasing away every drip of pain as if it never happened. Her gentle hand gliding along my foot, giving just enough tender pressure that it felt like she was scraping the pain off of me, repcing it all with a healing presence... reminiscent of my grandpa's.

  He was always so firm, callused farm-worn hands, and yet when he hugged me, despite the rackety, rigid, movements and the invariably slow walk it took, I felt his gentle, id-back nature gush through. His freeing dirt scent with hints of manure, terrible, smelly, weird, yet perfect, inexplicably capable of washing every damn problem away as I fell into his grip… fuck. I… my eyes are watering. Shit. I shouldn't have thought of him. Fuck fuck fuck.

  Melody's head soon appeared over my own, blurred by my tears as her hands made their way to my shoulders. "Are you okay, Scarlet?"

  Fuck. I-I need to expin. I nodded as best I could, sniffling. "Not your fault…"

  Stupid fucking dumbass. Why the hell did I have to start crying? Melody's gonna worry and bme herself and then not be in the mood and I'm gonna cry more and I—fuck. Ugh. What do I do? What do I do!? "It's… just…"

  One of Melody's hands left my shoulder and nded on my face, wiping away my tears. I don't know which hand it was. Then, she disappeared for a moment, compressing the bed as she sat down beside me, before leaning back over. "Do you want some water?"

  I shook my head, sniffling a little more as my tears calmed down. "You reminded me of someone… my grandpa."

  "I'm so sorry," Melody apologized immediately, then turned to her side so she could hug my prone body. Her face nestled against the right side of my neck as I looked up at the ceiling.

  "Don't be…" I sighed. Apologizing before you even know what I'm talking about, god damn, you're too precious and nice and kind and… and cute and gah. Melody. And now you're hugging me and reminding me even more of him. Don't stop though. Stupid tears, just go away. Okay, okay, calm down stop crying.

  Taking a few deep, hitching breaths, I continued, attempting a shitty half-assed expnation as I held back my lingering tears. "It's not… bad… per se… He's just, your touch, it… was like his."

  "I'm sorry, Scar," Melody replied, her muffled voice rumbling in my right ear. "I had no intention of bringing up bad memories."

  "He was incredible, just… dead," I said abruptly. Died like five years ago. I should be over it by now but… he lived out of the country so I couldn't see him that much and it just makes it more. I don't know. It's irrelevant anyway. Stop crying. Just whip me more Melody. "Can… we continue? I'm… I want more. I…"

  "Are you sure?" Melody asked, releasing her hug and propping herself back up. "We can stop. I won't be disappointed at all."

  "No, no, no… I want more." I really do. I mean, sure I'm worried Melody will be disappointed, but I don't want to end so soon either. We were just getting started and it's my fault anyway. Besides, these are happy memories! I'm happy, okay? Just like I said earlier. Happy. "We can continue."

  "Are you absolutely sure?" Melody asked again, looking straight at me. "Do you want a short break? Water? Chocote? Anything?"

  "I'm…" Melody's going to worry if I say I'm fine and need nothing. I'll just appease her. Maybe it'll make her feel less guilty too. Even though she shouldn't be. It's my fault. "Just some water…"

  Melody gave me another concerned gnce the bent down and kissed my forehead as I instinctively closed my eyes. And then she leaned back up and before I knew it was running out of the room, presumably heading downstairs to get some water.

  My vision wandered back up to the ceiling and my mind flew a mile a minute despite me taking some deep breaths in an attempt to rein in my emotions and get back into masochist sub mode.

  I hate the world sometimes. Why do I still remember? Why do people die anyway? Why can't we just live forever and be happy forever? Just… why? Stupid though, but I wonder if I can live forever. If Melody and I can live forever. The system definitely helps. Then again... watching everyone die around you isn't great either, but at least I'd have Melody.

  Why couldn't I have met Melody years ago? Life would've been much better. Probably. It would be everything we have now just… earlier. More time, more Melody. More happiness. More us. All the times I was cooped up in my room, being unproductive instead of doing literally anything else... imagine if it was all spent with Melody. Still unproductive, but I would have no regrets.

  Speaking of, Melody's head appeared in my vision and I raised my own to look at her. She was carrying a cup of water, as expected, and brought it up towards me. I started sipping away.

  "Good girl," Melody cooed, causing me to spit out some water and flip my mood straight back to kinky, much to my chagrin.