Points of Order

JOANNA AND MIRIAM

Joanna sighed as the elevator rumbled quietly down. Theo had given her time to become herself gently in his arms, and she had gotten all the kisses and little touches and words of affirmation she could have wanted, and yet… she felt a stab in her heart leaving him. She wanted nothing more than to cuddle up with him for the rest of the evening and fall asleep with his arms around her.

Well, maybe not just cuddle with him. But mostly that.

Still, she had to leave, and she tried not dragging the farewell kiss - well, kisses - out too long.

But even as sadness mixed with her joy at having spent time with her Master and the residual euphoria from her many orgasms, that joy did not diminish. The two just coexisted, mixing unevenly in her stomach.

She was still lost in thought as she stepped into the lounge, and found herself almost walking over the edge of the central recess in the floor. She stepped back, finally looked around, and noticed Miriam on the other side of the room, walking grooves in the floor. She smiled, walked down through the recess in the floor, and went over to her friend.

“You okay?” She asked. Miriam, staring at the floor and lost in thought, looked up with a start. She saw Joanna's smiling face and breathed a sigh of relief.

“I'm fine” she replied, but there was a sigh - a different, sadder one - in her voice.

“Really?” Joanna said, making an effort (as she always had to) to look Miriam in the eyes. “You're wearing grooves in the floor.”

“I’m just…” she started, then stopped, chuckling bitterly. “I’m nervous. Because I have a supposed ‘date’ with your boyfriend. I’m sorry, you shouldn’t have to reassure me.”

Joanna nodded sympathetically. She was on edge, ready for the pangs of jealousy that should, by all rights, be shooting through her chest. They did not show up. There was a strange, unpleasant mixed sensation she did not have a word for, but it was not the sharp jealousy she expected.

“It's okay.” She said, putting her hand reassuringly on Miriam's shoulder. “I know you're -”

She stopped, sighing. He had been going somewhere with that sentence, but nothing seemed right.

“Listen, I understand,” she tried instead. “I'm not mad at you for having dinner with Theo. I'm not…” that feeling in her chest moved again, heavy and strange. “Thrilled that you are going to sleep in his bed when I can't, but I know it isn't your choice.”

“I'm sorry, Jo,” Miriam responded. “At least you got some time with him today? It seems you two were going at it for a while.”

She didn't manage to stop her big mouth before the damage was done, clasping her hands over it just a moment too late.

“Fuck, I'm so sorry,” she said, mumbling into her palms as both their faces turned scarlet.

“How did you…?”

Miriam didn't reply, but gestured to the wall behind Joanna. She turned and saw the names and points etched and painted into the wall, a line of names with zeroes next to them.

All except the top one.

JOANNA: 17

Joanna struggled with the number.

It seemed too big - almost a fifth of the way towards the 100, and it was only the second day. If she could somehow do that every day, she’d win within the week.

And it seemed too small. Their play earlier hadn’t been the hardest they’d ever played, but it was not nothing. Sure, there had been little sadism in it, and Joanna could certainly win points from spankings, canings, whippings, bondage, predicament, wax play… but would it add to 100? It was difficult to know the scale, but she did not think so. She submitted willingly to her Master, but still… seeing ‘17’ she wondered what more would she need to give up to him? What more would she need to ask of him? Her submission was a gift, but so was his dominance - he took on responsibility for her health, her safety, for those parts of her life that she gave up to him. What more would she need him to take on?

And it seemed too big. Joanna had a penalty, she knew. She wasn’t sure how great it was, but it was there. How much would someone else have made if they had given themselves to her Master the way she had? Could someone else overtake her, if only they were willing to submit? She hated that. She knew she shouldn't - that points in this terrible show did not matter to Theo, that the only thing that really mattered was their commitment to each other - but she still hated it. If Theo had to have a harem, she would be the queen. Slave-queen, maybe, leashed and kneeling at his feet, but still the queen of his heart.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Miriam asked, her cheeks still a little rosy.

“Sorry, I'm just… trying to figure out the numbers. I don't know what they mean. I don't know what anything is really worth.“

“Well, what did you - wait, no, I'm not going to ask,” Miriam replied, her blush flaring back up. “Maybe your tablet will say? It's where I would check.”

“The tablet? Good idea, I'll check,” Joanna replied, turning to Miriam. “As for what we did…”

She took a breath, and Miriam was about to stop her, to say she'd just been joking, but there was something serious about her expression, and Miriam said nothing.

“Well, we talked. And we talked about the game.” She sighed, gathering her courage. “And about him… spending time with the rest of you.”

“Wait…” Miriam started, but was cut off.

“And… it’s okay. It would be selfish of me to try to stop it.” There was something aching and hurt in Joanna’s voice, and Miriam’s heart sank. “And I don’t want my selfishness to hurt the rest of you.”

“It’s not selfish to want your boyfriend to yourself,” Miriam responded. “No one here is trying to steal him from you…”

“It is selfish if it hurts you,” Joanna replied. “He needs ‘mastery points’ to protect you, remember? I doubt the game would let him get enough just from me. And… There’s the wish. I hate this whole thing, but there is the wish. Would it be fair for me to stop the rest of you from trying to win it?”

Miriam nodded, thinking. “So… what? You’re stepping aside and letting everyone else have sex with your boyfriend?”

“Well,” Joanna replied. “I have asked Theo to wait with the sex, for now. And I’m not stepping aside.”

“What you you gonna do, then?” Miriam asked. She was looking curiously at the other woman, rapidly reassessing her friend. There was a mix of pain and confidence in the other girl’s voice, but she wasn’t playing with her choker - well, her collar, Miriam now knew - the way she’d seen her do when she got nervous. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.

“I’m going to win,” Joanna said. “Obviously.”

THEO AND MIRIAM

Miriam did her best to hide her nervousness as she stepped off the elevator. The room she stepped into was covered in sandstone murals depicting every kind of perversion, and it took her a moment to orient herself. Theo was by the glass door to the garden outside, and waved at her a little awkwardly. She smiled and walked over to him. Her chainmail bikini made it more awkward than it needed to be, but she kept up a brave face, and fought her instincts to cover up. It's not like she wouldn't have worn a bikini if they'd gone to the beach or something, but wearing it to a ‘date’ was different. Of course, it wasn't really a date, they were just having dinner. And sleeping in the same bed. And maybe -

Miriam shook her head, clearing the thoughts away.

“Hi,” she said, a little awkwardly. “Uh… nice room?”

“Hi,” Theo responded, forcing a smile. “It's… a bit much sometimes. But I made us dinner? We can eat outside, the weather's nice.”

Miriam nodded, and the two went outside, sitting down opposite each other.

The food was some sort of… soup? The heat of the day still lingered, the nights never getting properly cold, and soup seemed like a strange choice. As Theo served her a bowl, though, she heard the tell-tale clink of ice cubes.

“Cold soup?” She asked.

“It's Gazpacho,” Theo replied. “It's a Spanish soup. You're not really supposed to serve it with ice cubes, but I’m not Spanish, so…”

Miriam shrugged. “Well, thank you for making it.”

The two ate in silence for a little bit. The soup was very good - a little tomato-y for Miriam’s taste, but then it was a tomato soup, and she liked the spice and the rich, savory flavors. There was bread with it as well, and Miriam was surprised at how filling the meal ended up.

“So,” Theo finally said, after maybe a minute. “How are you?" And what’s been happening? I’m sorry I’ve been so cooped up in here today.”

“Oh, not terribly much. People have been exploring the Hotel, and Chloe and Jessica have some drama going on, but that’s about it. Anna and Nina had a little pool party?”

“Ah. I hope they're okay. I'm honestly surprised the two know each other, even. And are you doing… okay?”

Miriam thought for a moment.

“I'm doing as well as I can, considering the circumstances. You?”

Theo laughed. “Well, I'm not happy about all this, but I can hardly complain. I’m not the one being transformed.”

“Maybe not,” Miriam replied, giving Theo a level look. “But you’re still a part of the game - you’ve got more responsibility than the rest of us. Work up Mastery points and all that.”

Theo sighed. “I do. I should probably…” he said, stopping, discomfort washing across his face.

“Probably what?” Miriam asked, her mind already working through the possibilities - if Theo could see how much he got for each action, then there might be an optimal strategy, where he could get the most MP for the least sexual activity, and help people the most. That didn’t solve everything, of course - there was the audience element, the best night rewards and mini-challenges, but finding some way to maximize MP would help keep people safe.

“Probably check my tablet. It showed me what I got MP for last time… I might’ve gotten some, uh, earlier…”

It was rare to see Theo blush, and Miriam savored it.

“When Joanna got those 17 points?” she asked, smirking ever so slightly.

“17?” Theo asked. “that’s… a decent amount. If I got as many, that’s… enough for another veto.”

Miriam nodded. “Go fetch your tablet, then, let’s check?”

As Theo fetched the tablet, Miriam's mind raced ahead. It sounded like he could only see MP for things already done… which meant he'd need to do a lot of things to learn the full range of possibilities, and then repeat the ones with the best value with as many people as possible.

She carefully did not consider the fact that the things to repeat were sex acts, or that she would be part of the repetition... or the exploration.

When Theo returned, he put the tablet in the middle of the table, letting them both see, and checked the recent events under the MP tab:

DOMINATION
Accepted submission: +1
Light degradation: +1
Ordered submissive to strip: +1
Praised submissive: +1
Ordered oral: +2
Pre-established sub penalty: -3
Total: 3

HYPNO BONDAGE Gave trigger: +2
Used Trigger +2
Pre-established subject penalty: -2
Total: 2

ORGASM LOCK
Gave temporary rule: +2
Triggered rule: +3
Total: 5

PLEASURE TRIGGER
Gave trigger: +1
Used trigger: +1
Pre-established subject penalty: -1
Total: 1

AFTERCARE
Provided physical aftercare: +1
Washed submissive: +1
Reassured submissive: +1
Pre-established sub penalty: -2
Total: 1

12 points. That wasn’t a lot - though Miriam didn’t have the full context, it was less than Joanna had gotten.

“I wonder why you got less,” she said, brows furrowed. “I had assumed it’d be a mirror of Joanna’s…”

“Well, let me check…” Theo responded, swiping on his tablet and choosing another tab.

JOANNA:
KISSING
Base:1
Pre-established partner: -0

BLOWJOB
Base: 2
Kneeling:1
Swallowed: 1
Pre-established partner: -2
Total: 2

NUDITY Partial: 1
Full: 1
Stripping: 1
Pre-established partner: -2
Total: 1

FINGERED BY MASTER
Base: 1
Licked Fingers Clean: 1
Pre-established partner: -1
Total: 1

SUBMISSION Used Master’s title: 2
Knelt for Master: 1
Washed Master: 1
Came on command: 1
Pre-established slave: -3
Total: 2

HYPNOTIC INDUCTION
Base: 3
Reinduction Trigger: 1
Pre-established subject: -2
Total: 2

HYPNOTIC BONDAGE
Accepted Trigger: 3
Trigger Used: 2
Pre-established subject: -3
Total: 2

PLEASURE TRIGGER
Accepted Trigger: 2
Trigger Used: 1
Pre-established subject: -2
Total: 1

ORGASM LOCK
Accepted Temporary rule: 2
Rule Triggered: 3
Total: 5

Miriam blushed. She’d been thinking only about the points as a part of the game, but seeing “Licked Fingers Clean” was just a detail too many to keep her mind from imagining it, and her mind ran away with her. She imagined her friend, naked on the bed, eagerly licking her own slick off Theo’s fingers, smiling widely. Her eyes went across the categories again, and even as she was sorting through the points, her mind played other images. Her shy friend, kneeling in the middle of the room, looking up at Theo - at her “Master” - with wide eyes and an open mouth. Miriam had given blowjobs before, sometimes on her knees, and she didn't consider it a particularly submissive thing, but just the fact that it gave extra points made her reconsider that. She could imagine Joanna, naked save for her collar, kneeling down to service Theo with her mouth, not as convenience, but as an act of submission and service…

“Hmm, it looks like she got points for individual sex acts, but I don't,” Theo said, looking at the points. “Which I guess says something about how Ishtar -”

He glanced at her and stopped, noticing the blush on Miriam's face, and the way she averted her eyes. He looked rapidly back and forth between her and the tablet, and cursed internally. He quickly swiped away and turned over the tablet.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “You didn’t have to, uh, see that. Or know that. I’m sorry, that wasn’t really fair to either you or Jo, I was just sort of caught up in the game of it all.”

Miriam waved his apology aside with a gesture. “Don’t worry about it, I was doing the same thing,” she said. “Not your fault - I was asking about it.”

She took a moment to gather her thoughts, then continued.

“Can you show me the Mastery points again? I think I noticed something interesting.”

Theo nodded and, somewhat sheepishly, turned the tablet back over, and tabbed to the Mastery Points. Miriam looked through the points and options again, confirming what she'd noticed earlier.

There was a clear pattern - Theo got the most points from hypnotizing people in ways that took away their agency.

And from dominating people, which seemed to give a lot of little points, but seemingly more for ordering sexual acts. “Ordered Oral” was the only +2 on that list, after all.

“I wonder…” she said. “Joanna got points for oral and for stripping, but you got points for ordering it. I wonder if you would get those points without the girl actually obeying? That might be the trick to quite a few points… why don't we try it?”

“What?” Theo responded, his eyes snapping back to Miriam.

“Why don't we try it? Give me your best order and we'll see if you get any points from that.”

“Are you sure?” He asked, giving her a serious look.

“They're just words. I won't be offended, Theo. It really is just role playing.”

Theo nodded and took a breath. He didn't say anything immediately, and Miriam studied his face. There were a few emotions playing across his face, but Miriam had never been the best at interpreting them. Finally, he stood.

“Ready?”

“Seriously, it's just words.” She replied, though maybe they weren't quite just words for him.

“Miriam,” he said, his voice quite unlike anything she'd ever heard from him. She had heard him be confident before, even cocky, and Eadred, his D&D character, had something of the commanding tone in a few scenes, but not quite the same, more put-on, more theatrical than this.

“Be a good girl, get on your knees, and suck your Master's cock.”

For a moment, Miriam thought she understood what Joanna saw in this. The confidence was sexy, and she had to suppress a small shudder at the command in his voice, the way he clearly expected to be obeyed. She had no interest in becoming a sex slave, but she did suddenly imagine that it might be quite fun to call a man ‘Master’ during sex.

“So… uh, did that change anything?” She asked.

Theo looked at the tablet and, and sighed.

“Nothing,” he said, sitting back down. “Guess that would be too easy.”

“Probably,” she replied, a little amazed at his switch back and forth. “But it was worth testing.”

Theo agreed, and with that they both returned to their soup for a bit.

But as the soup ran low, Miriam felt her nerves start to set in. She'd made a plan for the evening, and she'd need to actually propose it soon. It wasn't anything sexual, not really, but still, it was intimate.

But before she could gather her courage and actually ask, Theo spoke.

“So, how do you feel about the rest of the evening? Last night I did a movie night, and I figured that would be a good idea today as well. I know you've been wanting me to watch that stupid nick cage movie, and I thought today might be a good time?”

“Actually…” Miriam said, steadying herself with a breath. “I bought something we might want to… try out. It's nothing sexual or anything but you might need to… uh…”

She paused, struggling for a moment with her words, but managed to get them out.

“Hypnotize me?”