behave

[mrmage]

There's a total lunar eclipse two weeks later, the first one since January 2001. That semiquarter and most of the next pass without much more noise. Jackson is occasionally sad because of his dom's electric toy, and he's occasionally more stripey than he wishes to be, but there's not a whole lot Sadde can do about that. Against his hopes, Mason doesn't dump Jackson, and nothing gives.

Sadde continues socializing with people, but no one new. And as the semiquarter approaches its end and summer break gets closer, Sadde receives an email from Tobias, saying that he fully expects his daughter to come home and tell everyone all about her first half year at magic school.

The email tells Sadde to behave.

Sadde is not in a good place.

Comments

[eclipsi]

"Then we can go shopping this afternoon if you like."

[mrmage]

"Yyyuuup I like."

[eclipsi]

"All right. I get out of class at three thirty. Meet me at the Jacobs building then."

[mrmage]

"Okaaaaay!" he singsongs.

[eclipsi]

"Good boy." Kiss.

[mrmage]

Kiss! Eeeee! Sadde is a happy sub (switch, but).

[eclipsi]

Good.

[mrmage]

Om nom lunch.

[eclipsi]

And that afternoon when he has met her after class, to town they go. There is an accessory shop with a lovely selection of leashes, between the belts and the collars and across from the scarves.

[mrmage]

"Which one do you like most?"

[eclipsi]

"It's gotta clip to the collar, obviously - ideally all three rows, the individual links couldn't cope if there was any pulling..."

[mrmage]

"Hmmm..." He browses and finds a black leather one. "Hmm?"

[eclipsi]

She inspects the texture, clips it on to see how much slack it gives her, takes it off - "Can we try these?" she asks the nearest shop person.

"Sure, just don't walk out with it," says the shop person.

She clips it back on. "Let's make sure you don't trip me," she says, and she tugs him down the aisle.

[mrmage]

(Eeeeeeeeeee

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE)

He follows after her, grinning and never really letting the leash go taut.

(There is so much eeeeee going on in Sadde's head right now, he's sure they can hear it even if he's not actually emitting any eee sounds.)

[eclipsi]

"Awww, lookit you, lovely," she beams. "Doesn't your face hurt grinning like that?"

[mrmage]

"Good hurt!"

[eclipsi]

She tugs on the leash to get him close enough to kiss.

[mrmage]

Eeeeee kiss! Swoony, out-of-breath-y kiss!

[eclipsi]

"You're so cute. D'you like this one best or should we try another one?"

[mrmage]

"Iiiiii dunno, my brain might be too overwhelmed with 'we are getting a leash' to have space for aesthetic considerations."

[eclipsi]

"All right, we can try some more."

Isabella pulls and tries, in sequence, a chain one that more closely matches the collar and jingles; a woven one that she ultimately decides "bears a little too much resemblance to a dog leash"; braided cord which comes in a variety of colors; and a different style of leather.

[mrmage]

He decides he might become annoyed by the jingling one but is otherwise indifferent between the others.

[eclipsi]

She goes with a braided cord in shades of brown that almost matches her cane.

[mrmage]

And he pays for it, beaming all along.

[eclipsi]

And she leads him out to the bus stop on it, looking at his face now and then and giggling.