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Stacey rested there for quite some time after the horror had stopped. At last, the needles were gone and her boyfriend, Brian, was down from stand. A few drops of blood were visible in both their coats, but nothing too serious. She was thoroughly drained. Nothing she had done before was useful in preparing for that. Before today, she never would have imagined that she'd be able to inflict so much pain on someone else before. It also disturbed her that she did it to someone she loved. Hurting others by accident or in anger wasn't a new concept to her. Stacey knew how to deal with that. It was a matter of apologising and things would usually feel better. At the very least it made her feel better.

The matter of hurting someone you loved because you loved them was a strange idea. There were many ways to be sweet, but this didn't seem like one of them. It was all because of Catherine too. Every once in a while, Brian had asked her for a bit of trust. Most of the time, those things went well and when they didn't he wouldn't push the matter.

Despite several objections from Stacey's part, torturing Brian went ahead anyway. Catherine was the only one getting anything out of it though. Now she was due to be the plaything. Shock, guilt, and anger kept her from thinking about that though.

She had rested there for quite some time now, not moving. Catherine was still watching over the rattata, but let her be for a while. Stacey couldn't be bothered to move. Doing anything only served to make things worse. Trying to avoid drawing attention to herself was the priority at the moment.

The mew appeared a little occupied. Brian was rolled over onto his back, eyes closed and head resting in Catherine's lap. Most of her attention was focused on her toy, though she still scanned Stacey's thoughts. Catherine's tail coiled around his neck as she massaged the growlithe's paw pads. The wounds still stung, but he was breathing deeply and trying to relax.

Being held up there had left Brian stiff. It was a relief to be permitted some movement again. At the same time, moving his hind legs only brought agony to where he had been pierced. It seemed almost like he had forgotten how much he really hated her. More correctly, it seemed like he had almost no thoughts of his own. He was surprised that Stacey had managed to go through with it but all he could focus on was his physical needs. Part of it was the pain, part of it was the drugs and part of it was that he learnt a long time ago that it was best not to think around Catherine. She seemed to have a way of thinking for everybody.

Catherine rubbed Brian's throat and whispered in his ear, "I promised Stacey that you'd punish her after but she doesn't look like she's up to it right now."

"Yes, goddess Catherine," Brian replied in a daze.

"How about you take her to get something to eat and get her coherent again. It'll be more fun that way. There are a few people I need to talk to and a few things I need to set up," she suggested.

"Yes, goddess Catherine," Brian mumbled again as Catherine lifted him up off her lap. He seemed so out of it as she gently lowered him down onto the ground and helped roll him onto his side, but she was sure that he understood every word of this.

Catherine's tail curled around the downed growlithe and drifted down Brian's chest, barely touching the tip of his fur as it went. Once he started showing signs of life again, she got back into the air. "You can probably guess I'm up to. It's nothing too serious. Just regular business type stuff. Make me happy and I'll take care of anything you need to worry about," she added as she flew off.

With Catherine's word, it didn't take long for Brian to get back up on his paws. He took a few steps over towards Stacey, who was still curled up into a tight shivering ball. His warm nose ran along the rattata's side and tried his best to sound comforting. "It's ok, everything's fine," he declared. Having been through worse before, Brian was more or less fine. It was nothing that he wouldn't have expected from Catherine his last extended stay with her.

Stacey on the other hand was horrified. She muttered incoherently and refused to move, keeping her head sheltered in her little ball. Catherine had left the room, but it felt like part of her was still watching over them. Brian was supposed to be a friend to her, someone she could trust to keep her safe, not somebody she had to worry about.

Brian sprawled out next to her and gave her back a little lick. He winced in pain, but settled down quickly and tried to look relaxed. "I'm okay, really. It's not that bad. Just stings a bit afterwards," he tried to assure her.

"That's not you talking," Stacey insisted. She rubbed her paws against each other, thinking of that first day. It was quite a traumatic experience. Some of it was a blur, but she could remember the gist of it. It felt like she was asked to cut herself all over again. Being asked was enough for her to cut one of her paws open with a knife. It was mended wonderfully and had been forgotten for a long time. She couldn't remember which of her paws it was anymore, but they hurt just the same. It was an incredibly stupid thing to do. Using her boyfriend as pincushion was an equally stupid thing to do. It was done though and all it took was a bit of asking. That was the part that hurt he most.

Brian swung his tail over to Stacey's side and wondered what her comment was supposed to mean. Nobody else was in the room to say anything. It was his body, his voice, him talking, no mistake about it. "Trust me, everything's fine," he said.

Stacey snarled and poked her head out just to snap at his tail. "Saying it doesn't make it true," she argued.

"What's your biggest concern right now?" Brian asked.

"You are," Stacey admitted from her protective ball.

Brian nodded, that was the answer he was expecting. "And I'm telling you that I'm fine. You did a good job for a first try back there," he told her.

She hopped up and assumed a defensive stance. "That's not you," she cried, "Brian I know doesn't do these things. He gave up hurting people."

That was barely true. It was no longer the tight leashed system like he used to run. Corporal punishment was still used to maintain discipline, but was more for preventing trouble than making sure all the fine details were perfect everyday. Pain was just a necessity of maintaining control.

Beyond that, he willing allowed others to practice their skills on him. It helped keep some perspective on what was important in life. There was also something about the attention he received that made it feel good. He wouldn't have let anyone else go nearly that far, though it was still normal behaviour for him.

Brian backed down and rolled onto his back, determined to prove to Stacey that he was not a threat to her. He exposed his neck and kept his paws tucked away in an age-old sign of submission. "You know it's me," he said, "You know I still have demonstrations from time to time. I still let people come to me when they need honest feedback on their techniques. You even walked in on it once."

"That's a lie," Stacey insisted. After seeing him roll over, she dropped her guard, but kept her distance. Angry as she was, she knew she didn't really want to hurt Brian.

"You remember that day, don't you? There were three of us when you came in. My turn was over and I was showing a new piece of equipment to a golbat. You were pissed when you came in but you understood when you saw my fresh cuts and bruises," Brian tried to remind her, "You remember that, don't you?"

Stacey turned away and walked across the redecorated room to a cement block with a chain. It was hard to go anywhere without running into torture equipment. "Be normal again," she said softly, "Protect me." The rattata curled up and started sobbing again.

The growlithe stayed put, waiting till she was ready to come over. "What I'm doing is protecting you," Brian explained, "Fighting back will only lead to more punishment. Letting it happen is the best thing to do." He paused for a while and a long silence ensued. "Being slow is also a way of getting into more trouble," he whispered softly, "That's why Catherine asked me to punish you later."

"Haven't I already been through enough today? Don't do it," Stacey whimpered. After a brief pause, she screamed, "It's not fair."

"That's not going to help," Brian tried to explain, "Letting me do this is the best thing for you to do right now. If I don't do this, she's going to and you don't want that to happen." There was a long awkward silence before he pleaded, "I'm trying to protect you, but you have to trust me, I'm more experienced with this than you are."

"Please," Stacey said, "Fight her." She opened up her little ball and looked out at Brian. The two stared at each other till he was sure that she was ready for him. He slowly got back up again and walked towards her. The pain was apparent as he quivered with each step he took. "You aren't her slave anymore," she reminded him.

"I pledged my everlasting obedience. That kind of vow cannot be broken. I'm hers to command," he told her, "Besides you are a slave now and you need to do as you're told. When she says to do something, you don't need to think about it."

Stacey closed her eyes for a while. She tried to think of a good way to relax and calm down so that she could think. Trying to clear her mind wasn't helping. There was only one thing she could say, "That's not you talking."

Brian settled down not too far from her. He was trying to stay close, but didn't want to come off as threatening while she was scared. "It's ok, it's me, really," he sighed, "Not sure how to prove this to you, but it is me."

The two of them stared at each other in an uneasy silence. Neither of them said anything for quite some time. For Brian, there was little he could say. He wanted to comfort her, but she needed to trust him first.

"I don't want to hurt you," Brian slowly muttered.

"Then don't," Stacey insisted.

Brian shook his head. "If I don't do this, Catherine will," he explained, "That'll make things worse."

Stacey rested there silently and tried to think of a good response. It was hard to admit it, but he was right. There was no way out of this now that it started. Eventually, she stuck her head out and tried to wipe the tears from her eyes.

She was finally starting to open up and Brian was quick to notice. He got up and extended a paw out to her. "It's for the best," He declared.

The little rattata looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Is it really?" she asked.

"It hurts me to have to do this just like what you went through earlier. There's no telling what Catherine might do to you though," he said. The growlithe sighed and bent down, his muzzle rubbing against hers, "For the best?"

Stacey returned the gesture and added a little lick. "For the best," she repeated weakly.

A smile filled Brian's face, so far, so good. "Stay strong. Catherine is only here for a little while," he said, "I'll make it up to you later. We'll have supper out by the lake when she leaves."

Brian gave Stacey's side a nudge, "Let's get cleaned off and grab some food. It'll make you feel better."

She got up slowly and her voice crackled, as she impressed upon herself, "You know what's best." She followed along with her head hung, not sure how to face the uncertain future.

Brian had insisted on getting in the shower first to get the blood out of his fur. Stacey didn't need to see red tinted water pouring down the drain. There was some blood on her too, but it wasn't nearly as bad as what Brian had.

"You know what's best," she repeated as she followed her orders in an automaton like state. She got in the shower once Brian had finished and stood there motionless. It was best to just let him handle things while she watched the water and enjoyed the warmth as Brian rubbed the last of the red stains out of her fur. Just being in a warm shower of water was comforting and helped her calm down a bit. It still felt like nothing in the world could get her mind off of Catherine and her current troubles.

As much a good long soaking or possibly a good warm soaking in a hot tub would have been nice, there wasn't really enough time for that. Brian knew that Catherine wanted to see Stacey punished today and he had quite the list of things he wanted to go through to get Stacey ready.

The two of them sat down in their usual spots in the cafeteria. Stacey could hardly bing herself to eat anything. It was almost like it didn't really matter at the moment.

"You know I still love you right?" Brian checked.

Stacey remained fixated on a small piece of broccoli as Brian examined her for any sign of a reply.

"When Catherine's gone we can go back to living the way we used to, doing all the things we used to do, it'll be like this never happened," Brian promised.

From that point on, supper was a largely silent meal. Stacey seemed so withdrawn from everything that Brian wasn't sure if any of this was getting through.

Afterwards, the two walked along, Stacey mindlessly following Brian. She wasn't paying much attention to where he was going, but she recognised Edward's door. It was somewhat larger than the rest of the doors around him. Inside was a big room for a big guy. It almost reminded her of te outdoors at times.

Brian stopped by the door and Stacey stopped beside him. "A few things you should probably be aware of," Brian said, "One is that your owner always has priority over anyone else's orders. He also has the right to know what's going on with you. You should feel free to approach him about any problems that you're having, though you should also be respectful about it. Don't pester him about things."

Stacey nodded as she listened. Seemed like now was a good time to use some of this information.

"If it was someone's picking on you, he can protect you better than I can," Brian explained, "He still needs to be accountable to Catherine though and she's is going to have a lot of leverage over him right now because he's taken so long with Brax. The two of you should chat, but don't expect him to save you."

The rattata looked up at the door and then back to Brian. "Come with me?" she muttered, hoping that he could somehow stop the madness.

He shook his head. "Sorry, but I can't. I just want to stall you for a while so that I can move a few gentler things into my room," Brian said as he turned around, "Try not to be long."

Stacey walked up to the big door and put a paw against it. She whimpered softly and scratched at it a bit before lowering her head to try to peak inside. She didn't really know where Edward usually was or when he was usually in. It just never seemed important till now. "Master?" she called out when she noticed a shadow move.

The door opened slowly and there he was, the big tall dragonite. Stacey sat down and bowed her head before asking, "May I come in?"

Edward bent down and scooped her into his hand. He took her in and closed the door before asking, "Is something bothering you?"

Stacey took a deep breath. Edward was fun to be around when things were normal, but it was hard to talk to him about anything serious. She cleared her throat and clearly declared, "Catherine."

Edward sighed and slid into his bed, placing Stacey onto his belly. "That's why I told you to stay away from her," he muttered.

"She somehow took over Brian's body and ordered me to go to her," Stacey yelled before curling up in tears. Edward's hand came over her and covered her. She wasn't sure whether to feel threatened or secure. Nothing could get to her, but at the same time, she could easily be crushed. Part of her wanted to relax, but she was still cautious about anyone who had power over her.

Edward let her cry for a while before interrupting, "What's she done?"

"Terrible things. Mean things," she answered from her protective ball, "I didn't want to, but she made me hurt Brian and had him encouraging me. Catherine did something and he doesn't act like himself anymore." She huffed and caught her breath before continuing, "And Catherine told him to punish me so now he's going to."

Edward sighed, "That's why I wanted you to stay away. Her visits tend to be disruptive. It's unfortunate that it has to be extra stressful on you just because your lover happens to be her former plaything."

She whimpered softly feeling a little disappointing. That was neither profound nor helpful. "Can't you do something?" she asked.

The big dragonite snarled softly, "Not really." He pulled his hand away from Stacey and propped up his head. "Too late to do anything now. She'll be expecting you and won't be too happy if you don't show."

"Well, what am I supposed to do?" Stacey asked.

Edward shifted a little and Stacey tilted to stay in place. "That depends, is your punishment the last thing that she's asked of you?" he asked.

"Yes," Stacey replied.

"In that case, I'm going to give you a few things to do. I can't really tell you to hide from her, but as long as you're busy she's going to have to tell me why my tasks have been interrupted," he explained.

"I don't want her to hurt Brian though," She objected.

Something wasn't setting in and Edward sighed, "Do you think she'll stop because you're there?"

The needle play was still fresh in Stacey's mind. She was there and it didn't seem to matter. She was just another toy to Catherine. "No," the rattata muttered before breaking down in tears again. "I just don't want to leave him, okay?" she shouted.

Edward rubbed the top of Stacey's head with one finger, "I know you love him, but you've got to think about this a bit. Brian wouldn't want you to get yourself hurt in a pointless show."

"Will he be ok though?" Stacey asked, her voice cracking as she cried, "I don't want to leave him."

The gentle giant brushed the little rattata's ears back and replied, "That guy's been through a lot. He's quite tough really. It might take some time, but I'm sure he'll make a good recovery afterwards."

Stacey shuddered at the mention of afterwards. It seemed like so far away. There had to be something that could be done to minimise the damage. "Are you sure I should leave her with him?" she asked.

Edward took a deep breath and Stacey rocked up and down. His head was hung and he tearfully said, "I would if I were you. Then again, I'm not you, and this is something that you should really decide. Just remember that as much as we treat you like a toy, you've got to remember you're a grown woman. You've raised a litter and you'd probably be on your second now if you weren't here."

"But what do I do?" Stacey asked, "I can't just leave him there alone."

Edward brushed the tears from Stacey's eyes and sighed, a bit of a rumbling travelled down his chest. "Well, you know my recommendation. He probably wouldn't want you to risk yourself either. It's probably best that stayed away," He said. The mighty dragonite shook his head a bit before adding, "But of course we both know that sometimes love means you've got to be willing to handle a bit of pain. Love even makes us do stupid things at times."

Stacey sighed in turn. It sounded like a good idea to distance herself, but somehow that last remark sounded almost like an invitation to defy better judgement. There were so many things to consider and so many conflicting desires and responsibilities to satisfy. The raw emotion was overpowering her ability to think clearly but she had settled her fragile mind. "I'm staying with him," Stacey quietly announced.

Edward cupped his hands around Stacey and held her close for a while. "The offer's still open if you change your mind. Catherine has to leave sometime and everything will go back to normal," he assured her, "Don't let her give you anything and we'll clean up the mess together afterwards."

She felt oddly relieved that Edward didn't seem like he was going to stop her. It certainly did feel like a stupid thing to do, but at the same time, it felt like the right thing to do.

"When do you need to show up?" Edward asked after a long silence.

"Now I suppose," Stacey sighed as if she were condemned. There wasn't much she could do about what was to happen. "Will you come with me?" she asked weakly.

She soon found herself raising up into the air as Edward got up and placed her up onto his shoulder, "Do you want me to stay or just walk you over?"

It sounded almost too good to be true, but she had to jump at the opportunity. "Stay. Keep things from going too far," she begged.

"I'll do my best," Edward said as he slid the little Rattata up onto his shoulder, "You sure you're ready?"

Stacey shook her head. It was hard to accept that something like this had to be done. Her treatment with the laxatives wasn't too bad, it seemed hardly noteworthy compared to the needles. "I don't think I really can be ready for something like this," she said.

"That's always the case," Edward said. He got up and kept the little rattata on his shoulder. "Best to get it over with, shall we? Everything's going to be fine. You can trust me and you can trust Brian. It'll be ok," he assured her as he carried her down the hall.

"I don't trust Brian though," Stacey pointed out, "Not like this. He's not himself."

Even at his relaxed pace, Edward made pretty good time through the halls. He travelled much faster than Stacey really wanted to go. There was a bit of apprehension on his mind as well. He was angry and with good reason. Several formalities have to be observed in a hierarchy of absolute power. While they may not be written rules, adherence is imperative to maintaining order. Unfortunately, this wasn't a place where objections didn't travel up the chain. It was disrespectful to complain and he'd be risking your neck if he did.

"I had a feeling you'd come," Catherine said as Edward crawled in through the somewhat smaller door. All the furniture started to glow and float around to clear some space as the two entered. "Brian here does nice work. You could probably use the pointers. Help you out with that ninetales of yours," she jested.

"He's just been a tough one to crack. You've seen enough of them to know how these go," Edward said in his defence.

"You're lucky that I do. Brian used to that same excuse once but I knew he just wasn't putting in enough time. When I get around to you, we'll see how much time you've been spending on him and see if you need to be properly motivated. Perhaps I should have Stacey try out her new skills on you. That would be amusing," she said as a glow developed around the little rattata.

Brian was there, sitting at Catherine's side. A black hood hid his face. It was hard to tell if he was all right, concerned or completely taken in by the mew's fantasy.

"Are you ready to play, slave?" Brian asked in a slow calm voice.

It was a bit of a drop from Edward's shoulder to the ground, but Stacey's mind was occupied with thoughts of worse things than falling. Catherine was helping her down, whether she wanted to or not. "Can we just get this over with?" she sighed.

Catherine gave Brian a pat on the head, "Don't take that from her, keep her respectful and make sure she knows you're in charge."

Brian walked up to the collapsed little girl and placed a paw on her neck. "On your back, now," he insisted with his fangs showing.

Stacey grumbled and rolled slowly, trying not to shake the paw off. She looked up at Brian who kept his claws on her neck, desperately hoping for some assurance that her treatment would be mild. His paw pushed her head back till her nose was almost on the ground. She could no longer see him.

"Before we begin, let's review the basics," the masked growlithe said, "I asked you a question earlier and how did you respond?"

"Can't we just get this over with?" Stacey repeated with her eyes closed.

"And is that a proper way to address your superiors?" he asked.

Catherine smiled and floated up to Edward's eye level. "You might want to pay attention to this. It just might help you in the very near future," she said.

"No, sir," Stacey said.

The growlithe lowered his muzzle and whispered into Stacey's ear, "And what do you think you deserve for that?"

"A p, punish, punishment," she muttered under her breath.

This earned her a quick slap across the face. "Loud and clear, slave. Tell everyone what you deserve," Brian blared.

"A punishment, sir," Stacey shouted with her voice cracking near the end. She could have sworn she felt her collar tightening around her neck. The thing had never seemed so heavy before.

Brian quickly returned to his normal tone, "And we are all gathered here just so that you can be..." He stopped mid-sentence and gave Stacey a poke. She almost jumped out of fear. "Finish the sentence," he insisted.

"Be punished, sir," Stacey replied. Her body was starting to shake a little. She whined softly as Brian stomped the ground next to her.

Catherine gave Edward a little poke and sat down on his shoulder, "Told you he did good work. So tell me whose position would you rather be in. You could use a change of pace about now, couldn't you?"

"I'm content where I am," Edward replied.

Brian stood over the little rattata and ran his claw down her chest. Her body jolted to the side, half of it fear, half of it surprise. "Did I tell you to move?" He said before the little thing could properly calm down. She silently slid herself back into position hoping to be forgiven. Brian didn't seem impressed, "And did I tell you to move back?"

Stacey whimpered and looked to her side where she had moved to and just jumped back to. Her heart sank, as she felt trapped. Waiting to get punished was bad. Having it rubbed in that she was going to be punished had her terrified.

Her hesitation earned her another smack across the muzzle. "Well, answer me, slave," Brian demanded. Stacey whimpered and looked up at Brian who immediately thrust his paw down on her chin. Her head hit the ground silently but it still hurt. "Answer me," he insisted.

"No," Stacey swallowed and choked back the tears, "Sir." She wanted to rub her head, but the point was clear. No moving lest it was asked for.

"And yet you did so anyway," Brian scolded, "What does that call for?" He ran a paw down Stacey's chest again. He could feel her heart racing underneath. Her breathing was quick and shallow. She seemed to shake whenever she was touched.

Stacey tried to nod. It was already getting hard for her to say much more. Her throat hurt. She also hurt all over. Things hadn't really even started and she was already regretting having been so reluctant to hurt Brian earlier today. Her efforts were quickly countered with Brian's paw again. This time, she felt his claw tips. A set of sore points marked the bottom of her muzzle as she replied, "A punishment, sir." Trying her best to sound clear and coherent so that she wouldn't have to say it again.

"So, let's hear a little summary, love. Tell us all the things you want to be punished for," Brian requested. He nipped one of Stacey's hind legs and tucked it in at her side.

Want to be punished, that was a strange way of putting it. She didn't want to be punished, but she didn't want to challenge the wording of the request either. Stacey sighed and dared not move her other leg while Brian paced around, "I've moved when I wasn't supposed to and I forgot to address my superiors correctly, sir."

Brian snickered as he tucked Stacey's other hind leg in and spread them apart. "I suppose that means I can punish you for refusing to answer questions another day. Then we'll deal with your refusal to follow orders. We can go through this every night you know," he remarked.

Stacey whimpered as Brian leaned over him and licked her face. "Please punish me for those too, sir," she whispered softly.

"Don't worry, I will," he said as he ran his nose up her throat, "Another day though. You probably need to be punished regularly to be kept in line."

She whined and lay there feeling defeated and condemned. "Punish me now?" she barely managed. It was quiet and probably would have gone unnoticed if Brian weren't right up at her face.

There were no harsh reprisals for her latest outburst. The growlithe simply smiled and lowered his muzzle to her ear to whisper, "I will my dear, just remember to add ordering your superiors around to the list the next time I ask you what you want to be punished for."

"Stacey, just relax and accept what he says," Edward called out to her.

Catherine shook her head and shouted over to Brian, "You put on a good show. Next time, see if you can get her to break down in tears without touching her."

The little rattata tensed even though Brian was no longer lingering over her. It was a rough day for her and she had every right to be emotional, even if it meant crying uncontrollably.

Brian spilt a jar of clothes pegs out next to her and picked one up in his muzzle. He calmly placed his paw on Stacey's chest again and felt her gasp and hold her breath. She shivered as he brushed his paw about. Her body remained tense as he brought one of Stacey's several nipples into view and clipped the clothes peg onto her. It wasn't just mind games any more, it was time to bring the hammer down.

Stacey twitched and groaned at the light pain she felt. There was no going easy on her though. Brian immediately smacked the clothes peg across the room. She squealed at the quick pinch and tried to get up, but Brian pinned her back down in place.

"No complaining," he insisted, "Next time, you'll thank my politely and ask for another."

The little rattata tucked her legs back into position, spread out by her sides and resigned her fate.

Edward interrupted once more, "Just relax and let things happen. You'll get through this."

Catherine shook her head and leaned against Edward's head, "You were such a cute thing when I knew you as a dratini. You were pleasant to be around and ready to show off your desire to be mean with that club of yours. Now you're starting to make me wonder if you really do need a change of pace." She turned her head towards the show and called out to Brian, "Make it memorable, you don't want her forgetting these very important basic lessons."

Stacey found herself staring into that damn black hood as Brian circled around her body. "Well my love, the crowd seems to think you need a reminder of your place as well," he said before getting up and nudging one of her forepaws, "How about you remind yourself that you're here as a sex slave? Work yourself and don't get in my way. You want to be ready and in the mood when I'm done with you so that you can display your gratitude by pleasuring me."

Her paw slid down between her spread out hind legs as if it had a mind of its own. She worked the slippery moisture of her cunt and blushed. It was probably better that she had something else to focus on besides pain, but why did it have to be that? Why did it feel so wrong to do that now but ok around strangers she never met.

"That's it, you dirty little whore," Brian said as he went back to the pile of clothes pegs. Stacey frowned as he once again started brushing the fur away from her nipples. It was a little pinch but she was scared and those were sensitive parts. There was plenty of warning as he rubbed the peg against her nipple and let the wood slowly pinch down on her tender flesh.

Her paw shook as left a peg on the first nipple he was at earlier. It took a lot of effort to keep still till he pulled away. She cringed and groaned but found herself much more relaxed once the first one was over. "Thank you sir, may I have another?" she sighed not putting much effort into it.

Brian was feeling her up for the next one as she started to relax. It had been quite a long day for her. A few clients in the morning, tending to Brax, and all the trouble she went through with being punished the first time. All that squeezing took a lot out of here and torturing Brian sucked her of her will. She barely made any objection to the next clothes peg. A few whines but things just didn't seem as bad when she wasn't fighting back. Stacey took a deep breath and cleared her throat. It was a stupid line, and she didn't want to say it again. She felt like she had a bit of control over the pace and tried to relax a bit first.

Brian breathed a sign of relief when he turned away. He could feel Stacey calming down when he touched her. As much as he wanted to, to comfort her, he knew that he had to keep up the show. The mask did a good job of keeping Stacey and Edward in the dark, but he knew there was no fooling Catherine. He was going to have to put his heart into this.

Stacey's paw lazily slid across her slit at an angle. Her body was slow to respond and she just didn't have the strength to keep up any sort of movement. She rubbed herself gently, shuffling her the folds of skin around with the soft pads of her paws. Fear was the first and foremost thing on her mind, sex was just another tool used to make that happen.

Brian felt around for another nipple, and brushed away the fur. He lapped at the mini peak and drew it into his mouth. The little rattata whined, almost more irritated by him than the clothes pegs. Her breathing had pretty much returned to normal, and that helped soothe Brian's mind. However, he couldn't let this one slip.

The little rattata squealed and jumped as she was pinched by another clothes peg flicked off across the room. She opened her eyes and quickly shut them again after seeing Catherine.

"There'll be no complaining whether I give you pain or pleasure. You will clearly express your gratitude for everything I do to you," Brian declared, "Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Stacey muttered under her breath.

It wasn't good enough though. Things never were. Brian leapt over her, landing by her ear. His claws scratched across her neck and he rested his paw over her throat. "Louder now, I want everyone to be able to hear you. They're here for you too," he insisted.

Stacey took a deep breath and drew up the courage to repeat herself, "Yes, sir."

He lovingly brushed his paw down the rattata's cheek and told her, "You're proud to be a sex slave. From now on, no more whines, squeals or whimpers, you'll only clearly express your gratitude. Is that clear?"

That was going rather far for her. Stacey was prepared for a bit of pain, but she never expected to be asked to like it. "Yes, sir," she reluctantly said.

Brian went back to the second nipple and rubbed it with his paw pads. He could tell that Stacey was irritated but he was moving on with the treatment. The target was exposed and Brian lowered another clothes peg to it. She held still out of exhaustion rather than effort as the little wooden jaw bit down on her. He let his head rest on the rattata's belly and lick the paw going down to her crotch. "Say the line," he reminded her.

Stacey took a deep breath, gently lifting Brian's head. "Thank you sir, may I have another," she said. It was the most irritating part of her treatment. Every time she said it, it reminded her of her helplessness and loss of control. There was nothing she couldn't be made to do, nothing she couldn't be made to say. She was even finding it hard to even think for herself.

Having her belly rubbed wasn't entirely comforting. Tossing in the odd moment of comfort made her wonder if she was supposed to enjoy being treated this way. It was hard for her to have her own feelings.

It was time to try the third nipple again. Brian had already slobbered all over it earlier and that seemed to be keeping the fur down fairly well, but he brushed the area clean again to be sure. Brian got another clothes peg from the pile and placed a paw up onto his captive. He let his muzzle linger over the area for a while as he positioned the peg as best he could. Feeling the warm breath against her skin reminded Stacey that it was indeed her boyfriend out there.

Catherine whispered into Edward's ear when she saw Stacey cringe, "See, he really knows how to get her going, doesn't he. Maybe you should spend a bit more time getting to know your slaves on that level. Then again, maybe we should find someone who's willing to spend enough time with you to learn just how to make you squirm."

Edward shrugged and responded with a great big apathetic yawn. She was pretty irritating, but he felt rather confident in his position.

The third clothes peg closed around Stacey's nipple. One side down, one to go. She fought the urge to groan. It was an annoying pain, but it was a tolerable one. There was only one thing that she was permitted to respond with and she was willing to go along with the routine. "Thank you sir, may I have another?" she said in a slow but clear tone.

"You'll get more when I feel like giving you more," Brian replied. He swatted the last clothes peg from his pile over towards Stacey's tail and started circling around. He paused between Stacey's hind legs and took a deep breath. "Let's see how you're enjoying yourself. Tilt your head up and lick your paw off. Make it look sexy too," he requested.

Stacey tilted her head up, finally having the liberty to look around. Edward was still there and so was Catherine and they seemed rather comfortable with each other. She wasn't interfering or trying to control the situation. Brian was doing a good job of getting her pretty mixed up without Catherine's help though. The little rattata turned her head and stared at her paw. A little moist, but it was no big deal. She leaned her head closer and stared at Brian as she extended her tongue as far as she could. Seemed like so long ago that Crystal was trying to teach her a few things about show, but she just didn't like the idea of whoring herself out. Her tongue ran up the length of her paw and she winked at Brian before tilting her head and lapping up and down the sides of her paw.

Brian lowered his muzzle between his girlfriend's parted legs and spent a moment taking in the aroma while she made an attempt to look provocative. It wasn't much of a show, but at least she was obeying. He stuck his own tongue out and let the tip follow one of the grooves in Stacey's pussy. A shiver went up her spine as the growlithe pried up the layers on one side, just barely keeping his tongue out of Stacey's hole.

Stacey groaned as deeply as her tiny vocal cords could let her, which was still pretty high. "Thank you sir," she said in an attempt to stick with the rule of making sure all her noises were expressions of gratitude. Her mind was still far too distracted to enjoy things, but her body seemed to be showing a bit of response.

Brian pulled on a few bits of skin with his lips. Teeth probably would have been ok too in this situation, but she was a delicate thing. He took a deep breath and snaked his tongue into Stacey's cute little hole. His muzzle lowered as he thrust his face into her, his lips and nose rubbing against Stacey's sensitive features. He rubbed his wet nose against Stacey's clit, the poor little thing trembling as he went.

It was brief, but it was a break from getting yelled at. He broke off as soon as he needed to take another breath. There were still more nipples and more clothes pegs. It was never his intention to stay there long. He slid the clothes peg over to Stacey's side and got close enough to rub noses with her. "That's enough, back down now. Break time is over," he told her.

There was a bit of disappointment, but she wanted to get this over with. The clothes pegs had already started to numb the sensation a bit and facing another one wasn't nearly as scary. She took one last look at Edward and Catherine before lying back down with her neck straight and head tilted back as far as it would go. Neither of them were getting involved and that was good enough for her.

Brian rubbed the area down with his paw and lowered the wide-open peg with his muzzle. Stacey's neck twitched a little when it was finally released. It was a little more painful than the rest of them. Wasn't a big deal though, she let it be and said the line as usual, "Thank you sir, may I have another?" She glanced from side to side in surprise as Brian started rubbing down her chin.

"Since you ask so nicely, I will," Brian teased, "Unfortunately, two of them seem to have relocated themselves. Go find them and I'll give them to you. Ok love?"

"Yes sir," Stacey lethargically groaned. Her body slowly shook to life and she rolled onto her side, the clothes pegs swinging back and forth as she moved. The four little beasts felt quite irritating as she rolled onto her side and got up.

"Careful there," Brian warned her, "You wouldn't want any of those to slip off, my love."

She looked around the room and turned around slowly. For once it was best that this wasn't his old room. The little monsters would have been lost completely in Brian's mess of soft bedding. It wasn't hard to find the first one, but she didn't see the other one. Stacey gulped and slowly walked over to the first clothes peg. Her legs trembled and it was hard to stay balanced and keep everything steady.

She eventually got there, no comments from anyone.

The way back was a different story. "Lets see that tail in the air and get that butt wiggling. You're a sex slave, you should look like it," Brian demanded.

The last thing that Stacey wanted was for stuff to be wiggling. She raised her tail like a good little slave and took another quick look around for the other one. There was no sign of it.

"Well, what's the hold up, get back here," Brian rudely requested.

No complaints, no whimpering, no expressions of pain were allowed as she carefully made her way over to her boy friend. She wiggled her butt as instructed and everything else no her body followed. Her eyes filled with tears. It was hard to keep going with all that was against her. She was hopeless and everything was driving her back into that little ball of tears that she collapsed into when their roles were reversed. Part of her seemed to take comfort in knowing that she couldn't be ordered around when she was no longer functional. Things could get worse because of that, but every tool had limits. The more she thought about it, the more it felt like a good idea.

She looked around with her blurred vision and figured there was no use looking for the second clothes peg now. It was hard to even make out her boyfriend's dark hood.

"Hang in there," Edward remarked when she stumbled.

Words from him were hardly enough. What she really needed was to hear from Brian. She needed to know that he was still himself.

"Just show us you can handle this. Nobody's pushing for you to break," Catherine said. There was a bit of a pause before she added, "At least not yet."

Motivation from the big cheese was hard to come by, but Stacey really didn't care what she thought as long as she wasn't trying to hurt her.

Brian stared at Stacey as she wobbled closer. There was little he could do to help. It was up to him to apply the rules and be strict about it. She sat down in front of him, clothes peg in her mouth and eyes full of tears. The rattata whimpered softly as she stared into his eyes, begging for relief. He slapped Stacey with the back of his paw yet again. "No complaining," he snarled. His voice changed back to normal almost in an instant, "Just stay focused, you can do this. I'm not going to ask you to do anything you can't do."

Stacey nodded along. It wasn't what she had wanted though it was better than nothing. "Yes, sir," she weakly mumbled. All her options were quickly vanishing till there was only one left, obedience. She wondered what would happen to her if she didn't make it through. Would Catherine be satisfied? She said that she wasn't trying to break her. Was she really going to be satisfied?

What about Edward? She was in trouble. Why wasn't he doing anything?

"Are you done wasting time yet?" Brian sighed, "Some of us would rather not devote our lives to punishing you. Survey the area and find that last clothes peg. Start from one side and work your way to the other if you need to."

Stacey stopped short of grumbling. She had been slapped enough today and was starting to learn to fight the habit. "Yes, sir," she said and stepped around Brian.

It was time to organise a search. If it were any other room, she would have tried sniffing things out to get a starting direction, but since Brian lived here and she spent practically all her time here anyway. It was no use. Their scents flooded the place beyond belief. It couldn't have gone far. It better not have.

She circled around the immediate area slowly, scanning left and right. What was the point of this anyway? She did her job, didn't cause trouble and got decent reviews. It felt like Catherine was just out to get her for no good reason. The worst she had up till then was colouring her legs and she didn't really care. That was more of a fun jest on Edward's part so that they could share a few laughs together. That was the only other time that she could remember being punished since she moved out of the dungeon.

Her eyes drifted from side to side, searching for that stupid clothes peg. All sorts of torture equipment littered the area and there was no point in trying to look away. A few of the pieces featured blood, probably Brian's blood too. The missing clothes peg could have been in anyone of them so she had to inspect them all closely. They were all just right for Brian. Most of them not meant to be adjustable. It all reminded her of how she didn't want to hurt him but had to anyway. Hopefully he would be able to forgive her for that when he returned to normal.

She really wasn't looking forward to learning about all the various was to hurt him. If only everyone could just let her be for a while. No more pain, no more hurt, no more sexualising everything.

She completed the first loop without spotting it. Where could that thing have gone? Stacey looked around at everyone before starting another loop. Was it further out, or was she just too distracted?

Brian just nodded at her when she glanced over. At least he was approving of her efforts.

Catherine pouted and said, "Aww, empty handed. Come on, we don't have all day."

Next was Edward. She was counting on something meaningful. He tilted his head and stared back at her. "Just relax and keep looking," the big guy told her, "You'll find it eventually."

Stacey scanned the room again and started searching further out towards the wall. Maybe it fell behind something.

She shook her head and tried to fight the part of her that tried to tell her that things weren't really too bad. It wasn't so much the pain, but the fear and intimidation that was driving her up the wall, but she couldn't accept that. Her pace slowed and her tried her best to focus and calm down. There was no point searching when her eyes were full of tears. One by one, Stacey took the time to examine the nooks and crannies till something caught her eye under Catherine's rocking chair.

It was an exciting to have finally found the missing clothes peg, but she found it hard to muster up the strength to go any faster. Stacey bobbed her head and huffed as her chore was finally nearing completion. It felt like it was never going to be over. She took a deep breath and casually flicked it towards her.

"Easy there," Catherine commented after much silence, "You're getting awfully close to complaining. Those noises certainly don't make you sound very grateful."

Stacey took a few deep breaths and fought the urge to scream. Asking her not to be tired was asking too much. She could accept having her actions dictated to her. Controlling her expression was incredibly taxing but she could handle it for brief periods. She couldn't help slowing down when she was tired.

At least there was just one last thing to do now. She picked up the clothes peg and made her way to her boyfriend, her tormentor.

Brian nodded as she dropped the clothes peg at his feet. He wanted to nuzzle her and tell her it would be fine, but he had a job to do and a task to finish. "No rest for the wiry," he said as he lined the last two clothes pegs up with his paws. "On your back again and I'll give you what you want. Then you can give me what I deserve," he ordered.

Stacey sat down and rolled backwards, getting back into her previous position. Her head hit the ground with a rough thud and she tilted her head back with her tongue hanging out the side. This part seemed easy now, she could rest for a while, say the right lines. Then the fear came rushing back as Brian's paw cleared another nipple. She took deep breaths, trying not to waste energy fighting it and it went much smoother. Just a bit of pain and the thing was stuck to her.

She remembered the line and said it without hesitation. "Thank you sir, may I have another," her aching throat creaked. Next time she said it the answer would be no and things could finally end for the day.

"Yes, but only one more," Brian said. He had taken much more out of her than he originally planned and tried to think of ways to cut down his plans. Originally, he wanted to fuck Stacey and slowly making her beg for a good raping as he slapped the clothes pegs off. Though she looked tired and he was still aching from his torture session.

He took the last clothes peg into his mouth and started to clear space for it. Stacey could feel the tension building in her as he neared. Her mind struggled to avoid fighting back. His muzzle gently lowered and she closed her eyes in anticipation. It was most difficult to fight the urge to tense up, her battered mind just wanted things to be easy.

To her surprise, all that she got was the sound of the clothes peg hitting the ground. A few seconds passed and she got over disbelief. A few more seconds and fear had passed. She opened her eyes and took a quick glance around. There was nothing meaningful to see in this position.

Brian tilted his head and brought his muzzle down to her ear. "Since this is the last one, I want to make sure you really want it," he whispered.

"But I don't want it, sir," she pointed out.

"And that's the trouble with you," Brian explained, "You hear and you think. It gets you into trouble. Did I tell you to object?"

"No sir," Stacey answered.

"Then why did you object?" Brian asked, "Don't answer that, just think about it and start telling me about how badly you want this last clothes peg."

"Please, I want it," Stacey half-heartedly said, "I want that clothes peg."

She soon found Brian at her throat again. His claws were out and ready to rip in if he didn't get what he wanted. "That didn't sound very believable," he told her, "Pretend you're kid for a while and let's say I've got something you really want. Beg like a little kid."

Stacey closed her eyes and gulped. She certainly felt like a child again. That was the last time she could remember having to take the threat of punishment seriously. It was also a time of many desires. "Please give me the clothes peg," she said sounding a little more sincere. "I want it badly."

Brian shook his head and applied a bit of pressure on the rattata's throat. "Think like a kid for a while. Describe how happy it will make you," he instructed her.

She was trembling in fear, and tried to think. It was hard since this really wasn't something she wanted. "Please let me have it, I'll be the happiest lady forever," she desperately screamed.

The paw lifted a little and she could breath easily once again. "That's the tone we're looking for. Now make something up and this time you aren't a lady. You're a slutty fuck toy," he said.

Edward sighed and wondered if it was time for more comments again. She was going to need a lot of time getting back to normal at the rate things were going. "Don't take it personally," he told her, "Just remember, orders are to be followed."

Catherine chuckled and whispered to Edward, "And how are you with that concept. Perhaps we can test you on that as well."

Edward glanced over at Catherine with his head tilted. "And do you have orders for me?" he asked.

Catherine slid right up to Edward's head and said, "When this is over tell Brian you enjoyed the show very much and would like to see a repeat performance."

"I hear ya," Edward chuckled.

Brian looked towards the two of them and sighed as they conversed. He tried to make out what they were saying, but Catherine was just being too quiet. Stacey took the time to think of a few good things to say. It was stupid being punished like this. When they finally stopped, he tried to look disappointed, not that one could really tell under that hood. "Are you two done? May we continue?" he asked.

Catherine turned her head and retorted, "Don't take that tone with me. I never told you to stop."

This sent the growlithe back to work without objection. "Say a few more lines," Brian instructed Stacey, "This sort of thing should flow naturally and remember the tone." He gave the rattata a bit of a nudge and licked her cheek for encouragement. It usually helped. It often did, but this time was not the same. It felt almost like the real him was still there, desperately trying to escape.

"Please," Stacey groaned, "The slutty fuck toy really wants the clothes peg." Her body twisted as she prepared to give the second line. "It would really make this slutty fuck toy feel complete," she said, sounding a little more pathetic, "All the other ones are like that. Please finish the job."

She breathed a sigh of relief when Brian picked up the last clothes peg in his muzzle. He brushed the fur away and Stacey once again tensed under his paw. This time, there was no more stalling and no more delays. He gave her no heed and let the little thing bite down on her last free nipple.

Stacey archer her back and shifted around as she got accustomed to the new pain. It was now a matter of getting them taken off. "Thank you sir," she quietly muttered.

Brian lowered his muzzle to the rattata's ear and whispered, "You want to say it loud, thank you for punishing me."

Stacey groaned before carrying out her orders. "Thank you for punishing me, sir," she muttered, sounding completely monotone. She was loud enough for everyone to hear though.

The growlithe ran his paw down Stacey's belly and chucked, "Not bad, little slave girl. Now here comes the fun part."

Stacey already knew what he meant. Most of those stung a bit when they were moved around. She gulped and waited for a sign so that she could brace herself. Brian was rubbing her chest back and forth and they were starting to slip off. She bit her lip as her nipples cried out in pain. The blood was returning and the clothes pegs were only biting at the very tip. She made a good display of gasping and trying to hold back her squeals when the first one dropped.

There was a bit of a break as Brian paused to let her adjust. "You should see what the heavier ones can do when they let go, you pampered little thing," he snickered, "You almost want to ask for them to be put back on when those come off."

"Something you witnessed or something you experienced?" Catherine asked.

"Experienced, goddess Catherine," he admitted, "I just never given you the pleasure of hearing it." His attention focused back on Stacey and asked, "I'll let you choose, quickly or one at a time."

"Please get it over with," Stacey said, "Quickly sir." She held her breath in anticipation and shut her eyes tightly. It seemed to take forever for anything to happen. In her mind, this was just going to be brief wait, followed by a plethora of little aches that she could do nothing about. Brian's paw was already on her chest and it wouldn't be long.

However, it was. She couldn't hold her breath any longer and exhaled. That's when it happened. The rattata squirmed about as Brian knocked over the clothes pegs one row at a time. She gasped for breath as she was taken by surprise. Stacey whimpered softly and raised her paw to rub her aches only to be swatted down.

"So, do you remember what you're here for?" Brian asked.

"Yes sir," Stacey snarled in irritation.

The growlithe stared down at Stacey and placed his paw on her throat again. "Then tell us what you're here for," he insisted.

Stacey gulped feeling a bit of pressure. Anger quickly gave way to fear and she slipped back into a deeply submissive state. She closed her eyes replied, "To be punished."

Brian rubbed her throat till she calmed down. He could tell she was still irritated but she was much more manageable when she was down. "And do you remember what you are being punished for today?" he asked.

That felt like a long time ago. It was hard to remember all the specific things she was being punished for. There was another list of things that she was supposed to be punished for another time. It was hard to keep things separate but she had a clear idea how they wanted her to act. "Disobeying orders and I can't remember what else sir," she admitted. She took a deep breath and half expected to be hit. Her mind kept scrambling to figure out all the other reasons that she was to be punished.

"Well then," he said as he slid his paw down Stacey's body, "Perhaps you haven't been sufficiently punished. Would you agree?"

There was no simple answer to that question. It was definitely enough to get the point across. She was aware of what they considered wrong. It was more than enough excitement for the time.

On the other hand, she didn't quite agree with everything. Hesitation and disobedience were still two different things. She went through with her orders eventually, even though they were things that she didn't think should be done.

She eventually decided not to invite more trouble onto herself and answered, "Yes sir."

"Did you learn something important?" Brian asked.

Irritation popped up again and made it hard to think. Was it really necessary to ask so many questions? How much of herself was she expected to give? It should be enough to just follow orders. She grudgingly continued summing up her list of things she was being punished for. "I will follow orders promptly, address others correctly and make no objections, sir," she declared.

Brian finally backed down and sat down a little ways from Stacey. "There should be a few other rules in there but I'll give you some time to think about it," he said, "You won't often be asked to think, so take your time and reflect on why you were punished and the rules you'll need to follow."

The news came with great relief and Stacey slowly got up and walked towards Edward. "Thank you sir," she muttered. For once she was actually feeling grateful when she said it. It was good that things were over, but it would have been even better if things hadn't started.

Edward got up as well and said, "Thank you for the wonderful presentation. Hope to catch another one sometime."

Stacey slowed down a bit but kept going. It felt like everyone was against her but she was certain that she was safest with Edward.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Catherine remarked, "Is that all the thanks you're going to give your boy friend for the wonderful service he's provided you."

Stacey groaned and bowed her head. She was tired enough and really wasn't in the mood to put out for him in front of everyone.

"You know you should. He asks for it every night and you haven't turned him down before," Catherine said, "He's going to feel hurt if don't."

Stacey turned around to see Brian walking up to her. She sighed and rolled over, her head pointed back in the same pose she was in earlier. Brian slipped by slowly and bowed in front of Catherine. "I do not wish to use her tonight," he declared, "She's tired and worn out. I'll enjoy her when she's frisky."

Edward took the chance to scoop up Stacey and held her close. "Well then, with your permission we'll be leaving," he said, "She'll need to recover her strength before she does anything else."

Catherine didn't bother looking and just waved her and in the air, "Fine then, go," she said, "Just go."

Edward made his way to the door and chuckled, "As you wish." He quickly disappeared before she could comment.

Stacey glanced around and didn't move from her spot in Edward's arms. He rubbed her head as he walked and tried to comfort her. "Just relax, everything's going to be fine," he assured her, "It'll all go back to normal once she leaves."

"What if she doesn't?" Stacey asked, wondering how much longer she could stand being treated as a slave.

"This is just a business for her," he told Stacey, "She's here to do an inspection. That's it. Once she's done, she'll move on."

"And back to normal," Stacey muttered.

Edward set her down in front of her room. "Relax, stay calm and take as much time as you need to go rest. Sleep in past noon if you have trouble getting to sleep, but just wait it out. You'll probably be very emotional for a while. Just remember that deep down inside you're a strong woman. I'll try to check on you when I can."

The rattata nodded and silently entered the room, the door closing behind her. She was safe from everyone but herself till that door opened again.

*** *** *** ***

Meanwhile, Catherine motioned for Brian to come closer. "Don't tell me you're going to go to sleep without getting off," she said, "You really love that girl, don't you?"

Brian nodded as he came closer. There was no use in hiding it. "Yes, goddess Catherine," he replied.

The mew coiled her tail around the growlithe's neck as she mused, "That's interesting. I wonder how long this one will last. Let's face it, your track record isn't exactly stellar." She shrugged and looked around, "Anyway, what you did for her back there was indeed very nice. Though I feel that Edward was being a tad disrespectful back there, don't you agree?"

Brian obediently nodded his head, "Yes goddess Catherine."

She turned and pat his head, "I desire to be alone tonight and I simply shouldn't break your streak. How about you find someone with a big wallet and give him the VIP treatment. You could use a bit of hot loving and you've probably been a little cock deprived lately."

Brian gave the same response he did to every one of the mew's requests. "Yes, goddess Catherine," he said with neither enthusiasm nor reluctance. It was hard to say how he really felt about anything.

"Don't strain yourself, find someone a comfortable size to sleep with. Make sure he humps well and is willing to give you hand if you need it," she said as she uncoiled her tail, "Bring me a couple bills in the morning, I'll have a special treat waiting just for you."

He repeated his line once again before turning to the door. "Yes goddess Catherine," he said as if he didn't have a mind of his own.

The door shut quietly behind Brian as he left and Catherine floated her way over to the middle of the room. She closed her eyes and formed a bubble of energy around herself and began to meditate.