There was something warm pressed up against her, and Indie was sure she was still asleep. Soft, warm, it felt kind of like a person's body the way it squished against her chest. In fact, she was sure she was still asleep, Clementine was there - in their orange hoodie pulled up over their head, tapping away noisily on their laptop, butt pressed up against her.

Just like in her dream... kind of.

As nice as it was to just to feel them up against her, her dreams had a fifty-fifty chance of turning out far more pleasant than just a butt against her chest.

"Clem?" she nearly yawned.

Clem didn't stop typing, "Sorry if I woke you, I just had to... do something."

Indie had never been particularly imaginative, but as the haze of sleep started to wear off she realised she wasn't dreaming - and she started remembering last night.

"Thanks for letting me crash here, I guess climbing onto roofs takes it out of you."

Indie smiled, pushing herself up on her soft mattress. Clem leaned forward to avoid tumbling back.

"I-it's alright, I've never had a friend over so... uh."

Clem stopped tapping away, "Got a lot of catching up to do, huh?"

"You could... you could say that."

Clem glanced around their shoulder at her, "Cool, well, I told the boss to fuck off - so I've got the whole day free."

Indie wasn't sure how much of a joke that was, despite their tone, "You told her to fuck off?"

Clem shut their laptop and fell back into Indie's lap, looking up at her with inquisitive blue eyes, "She wanted me to come home and help her with paperwork, but she's got a lawyer for that now - she's just too scared to call them."

"Kriem's scared to call Skye?"

Clem nodded, their hoodie falling off, exposing all of their bright orange hair, "They had a weird little convo yesterday and well, Hildie doesn't explain things well sometimes."

"Like how?"

Clem somehow shrugged with just their eyes, "She spends all day speaking in legalese and business jargon, then at night absorbs herself in cooking and sex."

A lot of things aligned in Indie's brain, "I think I get it now."

"I guess it's not that weird, it's just Skye and Scarlett are... well, they're normal."

"They're not in a bubble."

Clem smiled, encouragingly, "I was a bit like that until I met Hunter. I guess he pulled me out of my shell."

Indie had not heard any Hunter before... except for the obvious places, "Hunter?"

Clem sat up, "I thought I told you about him, he's my boyfriend."

"Oh," she had heard of Clem's boyfriend, just not his name, "no you have... he's uh, he's the cop right?"

Clem nodded, "Yeah, but who cares about that, what're we doing today?"

Indie blushed, trying to think of something, "I... uh... normally just go to work."

Clem waved off the notion, "That place'll be packed with Kriem's friends today, you don't want to be there for that."

"Why?"

"It'll either be a bunch of high-powered business women talking about cooking, or their sex lives."

Indie kind of wanted to hear some of their stories, though... it'd be embarassing, "Why is she so obsessed with sex?"

"She isn't?" Clem packed up their laptop into their back-pack, "I mean, she's got a fairly normal level of interest in it."

Clem stood up, hoisting their backpack onto their back, "Look, Indie. I know it makes you uncomfortable, but Kriem's not a bad person and she's not some perverted deviant just because she likes something.

"There is a whole profession based around what she does, give advice and talk to people about having healthy sex lives. Something that is normal to want. It's called sexology, and you don't have to be obsessed with sex to want to do it. Are you obsessed with programming? Is Skye obsessed with law? Is Scarlett obsessed with bar-tending?"

"No..."

Clem's eyes were stern, but their mouth apologetic, "Sorry, I've just... I've known her a long time and, I'm a bit like you - I'm not that into all of that stuff, it's just not some unhealthy thing."

Indie glanced away, "S-sorry."

Clem sighed, "No, it's alright, once you get to know her you'll really love her but lets... lets go do something."

Indie pulled herself up from her bed, "C-can I have breakfast?"

"Sure, but lets go out for breakfast."

"Then um... I need to have a shower."

Clem nodded, sitting down at Indie's desk. Indie gathered up fresh clothes and headed into the bathroom to freshen up for the day.

***

Skye was having second thoughts now that she sat outside the gates of the Disablot. The foreboding walls of the mansion cast a shadow over her car, blocking out the mid-morning sun.

"We going in?"

Scarlett had tagged along, for moral support they claimed. They stood by the passenger side door smoking a cigarette. Skye's mouth tingled with cravings, but her brain was struggling to regain control. The piece of gum in her mouth was starting to get hard, drying out her tongue.

She had already called Kriem, told them she wanted to mee the instructors but now... it just seemed like a really bad idea.

"Yeah, I guess."

The way inside was like a walk of shame, going in knowing full and well that she would be judged. The flowers of the great tree that path snaked around had finally blossomed, their perfume filling the cavernous space between the gates and the front door. She pressed the doorbell and it rang with a sonorous kind of tone - that was new even since yesterday. It was a new button as well.

Kriem herself answered the door, dressed in a white backless sweater and black yoga pants.

"Skye, Scarlett, come in, please."

They followed her inside, the fragrance of the blossoms was replaced by a sweet jammy scent - the kitchen was full of pots and pans from the stove and plates piled up with biscuits and jars full of red and blue jams.

Behind the kitchen bench, two women stood side by side discussing something. They were an odd pair, which at first Skye imagined they'd be a couple. One was tall and the other short, the taller was much younger and then it struck her that they were related. The older of the pair looked up at them and smiled with motherly warmth - their stark purple eyes stunned Skye still.

"Whose this sha lil' tin you got there, Leere?"

The younger woman looked up from their cutting up fruit, Kriem turned to Skye, "Skye, Scarlett, this is Stella and her daughter Selene."

Selene, tall and statuesque waved timidly with one hand while Stella dropped their knife and bounded around the table to greet them with open arms.

"Come see, I ain't gonna bite, ol' Stella's been hearing lots 'bout ya."

Scarlett respectfully hugged the woman, they were a tiny, strange thing speaking some kind of southern tongue. Stella's bright platinum white hair was done up in a pony-tail that bobbed as they patted Scarlett's back with a friendly intensity then turned to Skye.

Skye accepted the hug and was surprised by how strong the tiny woman was.

"You don't worry to axe nothin', I be here to answer all ya questions."

Kriem placed a hand on Stella's shoulder, smiling, "Stella's Cajun, or was."

"Ai, don't be making fun. Howing much of your German you still got rattlin' up in that brains oh yours, young lady?"

"Mehr als genug," Kriem smirked, "come meet Selene."

Stella happily stepped along, a happy stride to their walk. The short woman was almost as statuesque as their daughter, just with a few crows feet around their vibrant eyes.

Selene looked up, smiling, both Skye and Scarlett were curious to what Selene would sound like once they spoke. Their skin was darker than their mothers, their eyes deep hazel and their hair raven black tied loosely as it flowed down their back.

"Hey."

There was only the slightest hint of a drawl, and Scarlett was visibly disappointed. Skye poked them, to perk them up, then offered a hand to the young woman, "Hey."

Scarlett followed suit before Kriem cut in.

"Skye here is the one I was telling you about, Stella."

Stella nodded, "Selly, come see, let's have a talk with young Skye here in the lounger. Right?"

Selene placed down their knife and headed into the loungeroom ahead of their mother and Skye. Skye followed, a glance at Scarlett - who was stopped from coming by Kriem's firm hand.

Stella sat down on a lounge, Selene stood and gestured for Skye to sit down opposite their mother. Skye sat down, then next to her Selene sat down.

"So what do you want to learn?"

Skye looked at Selene, who was intently ready to listen, "I... uh... I want to learn to, uh. Become a domme."

Selene raised an eyebrow, "Is that, as in regards to dominance and submission? Or are you interested in other things?"

"I-" Skye stared at her hands as she played with her fingers in her lap, "I think-"

Selene and Stella studying her didn't help, she blushed deeply, "I want to learn bondage."

Selene smiled, but Stella was still reading her, "What do you think mama? I think I can teach her."

Stella nodded, "Ya, we gonna be able to teach you child. Ain't nothin'."

Skye blushed more deeply, "Th-thanks."

"Here," Selene handed her a small white card, "Call us tomorrow and we'll organise lessons. Go to our website and see what you'll need to buy for the lessons."

Stella slapped their knees and suddenly pushed themself to their feet, "Aight, lets get and grab some grub while it's still hot."

Skye sat there, slightly dazed, Stella left and just Selene was in the lounge with her.

"Skye?"

She glanced up at them, "I'm coming."

Selene smiled, "Alright."

Skye's hands were trembling, her stomach roiled up with bile. But it was... she was excited. Everything that had happened should have terrified her - she lost her job, she was throwing her life into the hands of a wealthy stranger and now she was going to learn how to tie people up from a mother-daughter team. The future was going to be weird - but it sure as hell seemed bright.

***

Indie had never been to whatever diner this was. Clem had driven them just out of town towards the desert. A grim, intense series of thoughts had gripped her as she remembered all the cliches of mafia goons driving their victims out into the desert before they whacked them.

The diner was an interesting little side attraction - it was a pristine little glass box heavily shaded from the sun with an outside eating area more like a garden and that seemed to link to some kind of strange greenhouse. There was no trucks, which didn't surprise her - it was off the highway - but had a lot of motorcycles.

The nerves of driving into an isolated landscape with a self-proclaimed fixer were replaced by fears of bikers and bloodshed that ended up entirely unfounded. Inside were groups of leather jacketed men and women, but none of them seemed biker sorts. One of the men was even using a napkin.

Clementine lead her to a booth, the diner's outside was misleading because inside had a vintage look and as soon as they were seated a candy-stripe uniformed waitress came to provide menus and drink orders.

"I'll have the usual," Clem flashed a seductive grin, "thanks Tiffany. This is my friend Indie."

Tiffany smiled warmly and winked, "Hey, Indie."

Indie blushed, eliciting a giggle from the waitress and a smile from Clem, before burying her nose in the menu.

"Take your time Ind," Clem assured her, "just tell us what you want to drink."

"Oh uh..." she scanned the drinks, "I'll have a coffee... thanks."

Clem corrected her, "Cappucino, thanks."

Tiffany nodded, leaving to give them time to think. Indie's face was dark red by the time she looked up.

"You know, I could fix you two up."

Indie's hands trembled, "W-what?"

"Come on Ind, you're not fooling anyone - if you're into chicks well, so is Tiff. She'd be perfect as well, she's super into nerds. Her last girlfriend was like a nuclear physicist, or something."

"I- I'm not..." Indie sighed, "I'm not gay."

Clem shrugged, "Alright, take your time. With the food I mean... I've got all the time in the world."