Page 26 of The Toymaker
“You remember to keep quiet about that, right?” asked Trig.
Kit nodded. “Yeah, but…”
“But what?”
“Is it truly unsafe to play without one? I mean, I never felt in danger with Perry. It’s not like he ever did anything to truly hurt me, and I feel safe with you guys too.”
Trig folded his arms. “It’s not allowed here at the college, and it could be dangerous with newbies who decide they want to jump into hard play with neither partner having any real experience. I think it’s fine with an experienced Master. I enjoy having Riju as a submissive, but I also like having a slave. I’m confident in my abilities to care for a slave or a submissive, and I’ve been doing this kind of thing for quite a long time. I think people like me can do it without the safety word because we're experienced overall.”
If it wasn’t allowed in The Edge, Kit wondered what others would say. He’d been leery at first of having no safety word or signal with Perry. “Perry said the slave needs to trust the Master.”
“True. You should still be careful. For instance, eighteen-year-olds shouldn’t be doing hard play without safety words or signals because they haven’t learned enough yet. It’s not just about how to wield a whip or safe ways to tie up the other either. You need affection and care. He doesn't want to give it.” Trig spread his hands.
“I’m supposed to go back to him after this,” said Kit. “He said he’d take me on for a bit to see how I do if I make it a year with you, and he thinks you’ll whip the defiance out of me.”
“You don’t have to go back,” said Trig. “Once you’re free from me, it doesn’t mean he owns you, and I think you’ll have the same issues again. Not every submissive and dominant go together. Think about Riju and me. He won’t ever bottom even though he’s okay with submitting in other ways. I love bottoming, so it works for us. If it didn’t, we’d only be stuck with handjobs and oral sex.”
“Oh.”
“He has a safety word because I think he needs one to feel safer. He’s not the type to be a total slave, so it works better for him to be a submissive to me in bed, and since he likes dominating too, you fulfill that for him. We've had others for short times, although not all worked quite as well.”
“Why not?”
“Riju and them didn't get as close. You two seemed to get along quite fast. The sex was fine and enjoyable for both, but in general, others sort of tolerated him because he’s a part of the package. Anyone who is my slave will be his too. You could tell they wouldn’t have started anything with him alone.”
“I like Riju.” If they'd met differently, Kit could see himself wanting to try a relationship with him, and it wasn't just because he had beautiful red hair.
“He likes you too. Also, I think you’re better as a slave.”
“I like being one,” said Kit. “I feel…better. I like having the structure and rules.”
“Some do. As for Perry, you can do what you want when this contract is over, but it’s something to think about. Getting back with him might not work out for you both in the long run. You can go see Riju or do whatever now. Relaxing time is over.”
“Okay, Master.”
“We’re doing a class this afternoon since I’m filling in for a guy who’s out sick. You’d better be on your best behavior. Remember, you still have no safety word or signal, so you’ll accept whatever, but I’ll pretend you can snap. I can assure you if you snap and force me to stop because so many others are around, you’ll be standing in the basement all night after a whipping.”
“I understand, Master.”
“You’re going to be shared with the class too.”
As Kit went downstairs, he wondered why they didn’t have a class on Master and slave relationships without a safety word. He now knew two Masters who forbade them, so it couldn’t be that bad or uncommon, right?
Riju was at one of the work tables in the basement and dabbing at a paddle in front of him with a brush. In the lower pocket of his red coat, Red the doll peeked out. The basement was mostly underground, and the few windows in it were high up for light. A couple of crystal lanterns hung from the ceiling, and shelves lined the walls. Crates held merchandise they couldn’t fit upstairs along with materials to make things.
One corner was for Trig to cut and measure wood to assemble things like horses. Kit was pretty sure standing in the basement all night meant he’d have to stay under a few hooks on the opposite side of the room. If he was chained up without enough slack to sit, he’d be stuck there for hours to think about what he did wrong. It certainly wasn't something he wanted to do.
He went to watch Riju who gave him a quick pat on the arm but remained focused. The paddle was thick and had holes. It would surely hurt the ass of any pleasure slave or submissive, and Kit had felt a few on his bare bottom. Certain pains from a paddle wouldn’t be welcomed by anyone. The wood had to be perfectly smooth because nobody wanted a splinter in their arse. They would also be quite displeased to spend the money and have it crack after a short time.
Beyond the safety, it should look good, and Riju was staining the pale wood a darker color with special sap from trees in the Glasswood Kingdom. Later, he’d glaze it. Certain kinds of glass trees from there could be ground down to make a quality resin that was used to glaze items.
"You can sit."
Kit sat in the other chair and received another quick pat from Riju who didn’t look at him. Kit watched him ensure every square inch of wood was evenly stained before he hung it on the wall behind the table on a hook so the color could set. The resin to glaze it had to be applied to a fully dry item.
“What’s next, Master?” asked Kit. They weren’t about to run out of paddles.
“Hmm. Nothing has to be done now.”
