Head out by myself and experiment

"That's okay, I have some things I need to take care of. Catch you another time?" I said

Ron nodded. "Of course, of course. Whenever you have time. I have a feeling Jess will want a rematch soon.

Jess perked up at hearing her name. "It's okay, I admit he's better than me. He doesn't have to keep proving himself."

That felt... kind of good. I'd forgotten about asking her to admit that. It was like a present I'd gotten to open twice.

"Jess, we can still play even if I'm better than you." I grabbed my coat. "I'll see you both next week?"

They nodded, and I waved goodbye and headed out.

The street outside their apartment building was wet from a light sprinkling of rain, shining in the light of the streetlamps. I bundled my coat around myself and zipped up tight. It was a short walk back to my place, but I took my time. I had thinking to do.

It seemed like I could ask someone to do something, and if I said the word please, they would do it. Asking them to forget what I had asked wouldn't dispell the command, only reversing it with another command could do that. Was there a limit to what I could order someone to do?

I wasn't aware of it at the time, but I had stopped thinking of them as 'asks' and started thinking of them as 'commands.'

When I got to my building, I found my landlady Ms. Crowin on the front stoop smoking a cigarette. She was a middle aged woman with black hair slowly turning silver, a tired face, and a frumpy body usually covered in ridiculously sized scarves and shawls. She liked me as much as she liked anyone, which was to say not very much, but I payed my rent on time and kept my apartment clean and she stayed out of my hair. I nodded to her as I walked up the steps.

"Ms. Crowin, lovely to see you."

"You as well, Rick," she said, "Be careful not to leave your wet shoes on the floor." She was very proud of the hardwood floors in the building, protective even.

"Of course, ma'am." I paused at the door as an idea came to me. "Ma'am, there's an issue with my fridge. Would you please come with me to check it out?"

Ms. Crowin took a long drag from her cigarette, then ashed it in a small ashtray she was holding. "Very well. Could it wait until morning?"

"No, ma'am. I'm worried the food might spoil and attract ants," I said, playing on her fears of the building being infested.

She sighed, put out the cigarette, and followed me inside. My apartment was on the top floor, up three flights of stairs, and both of us were mildly out of breath by the time we got to the landing. I walked to the end of the hall and unlocked my door, then gestured her inside.

My apartment was reasonably sized and reasonably priced for a bachelor. There were three rooms, a large kitchen/dining/living room, a bedroom large enough to accommodate a queen-sized bed, and a recently remodeled bathroom. Because it was the top floor, the ceiling slanted downwards at one edge, making it feel a little cozier than it actually was.

Ms. Crowin placed her ashtray on the shelf by the door and stepped briskly over to the refrigerator. She opened the door and checked inside, glancing over my containers and condiment bottles, then checked the setting on the dial. She closed the door and opened the freezer, checking the temperature in there as well. Finally, she closed that too and turned to look at me, shaking her head.

"Everything seems to be working fine, Rick. What was the issue you were having?"

I tensed in preparation for what I was about to try. "Please, Ms. Crowin, forget about checking the fridge. Please think that you just came up here to talk with me."

She blinked, her jaw worked for a moment, then she shook it off and smiled as best she could at me. "I'm sorry, I lost my train of thought. May I take a seat?" she asked, gesturing to the living space.

"Go right ahead."

"Thank you." She sat on the edge of my armchair, crossing her legs and adjusting her shawl. "What were we talking about?"

"Nothing much," I lied, "I was just about to ask you to please have blonde hair."

This was a risky test, but I had to know if I could ask someone to change more than just mentally. If this worked, the possibilities for me would be endless.

Ms. Crowin frowned. "Do you have any hair dye? If not, I'll have to run out and-"

I cut her off. "Please have naturally blonde hair."

Her frown deepened.