Sheltered [12/03/2023] CH46+47 [Important Subscribestar Update]

[Mee]

On 4/8/2021 at 4:29 PM, Traycie said:

Emily does not yet know it but she is about to get what she has wished for all along, I wonder where she will be taken during her week as Joyce’s baby, will a stroller and a diaper bag will also make an entrance for the petite girl to save Joyce carrying her everywhere and to announce to the wold that little Emily is still in Diapers.

Perhaps Joyce will rent a beach house for a short break away and Emily will get to experience babyhood for real with Joyce using the crib, high chair, bibs, soft cotton baby diapers and waterproof plastic baby pants of the actual toddler girl who’s parents own the beach house on little Emily. Now that would be cute, little Emily toddling around on the sand and paddling in the water in just her crinkly plastic baby pants, sungly pinned on cotton diapers, T-shirts and ruffled sun suits that belong to another little girl, albeit one fourteen or so years younger than her. 

Emily and Joyce will be having a lot of fun together in that sphere, but I can't promise to what extent that goes. Guess we'll have to see. Thank you for the comment and staying so invested!

On 4/8/2021 at 4:33 PM, AdultInnocence said:

While I could see a beach house rented, I don't forsee a stroller or her playing around younger children while she is in diapers. Throughout the story they take great lengths to keep their lifestyle private.

I may be wrong but it does seem like you are projecting some of your own fantasies here. While authors do like feedback, unless there is something that was needing correcting or clarified in the story, it is not likely that they will change their story for the readers. We get the privilege to read a story in progress and comment on it, rather than read a finished book.

Beach house could be fun! It's alright for readers to make predictions or share their thoughts, but I can't imagine myself confirming any theories, but at best maybe dissuade some of them; I don't want to create any false expectations.

On 4/8/2021 at 6:18 PM, Sarah Penguin said:

Someone should become self employed and read and review all of the world's books for babies and  post them someplace online. Or try and review all the baby toys. Perhaps even provide some feedback to a certain seamstress

Hmmm, that's an idea! Surely Emily could make a new career out of that! Thanks for commenting!

On 4/20/2021 at 4:12 PM, Baby Toni38 said:

Just finished rereading this awesome story again.   Hoping for a new chapter soon.

Glad to hear people enjoy re-reading this! New chapter is soon! Promise!

33 - The New Routine

Bewildered was Emily’s first instinctual response. As she tried to figure what’d just happened, she caught her tongue absentmindedly probing the flavored teat inside her mouth.

She stared at Joyce’s back in silence, watching her work away. Her hand drifted to the ring of the pacifier, dangling her finger on it for a moment before pulling it out.

“If I’d known how well that worked on you, I think I would’ve kept your paci on me a bit more often?” Joyce grinned as she peered over her shoulder.

Emily wasn’t sharing the giddiness though as confusion reigned king in her mind. “What...what’d you do?”

“I did what you asked me to do. I helped. Well, starting to help is a better way to put it.”

She didn’t respond at first, but a small frown grew on her face as she looked at the baby trinket hanging from her finger. Not that she didn’t appreciate the gesture, but it wasn’t that simple… “I...thank you; but I’m serious, Joyce… What am I supposed to do?”

“You’re supposed to relax for tonight,” Joyce calmly instructed, “and listen to how we’re going to make things better. You asked for my help, Emily, and of course I will give it to you, but you’re going to need to be open-minded about this.”

Emily tripped over some hesitation before she spoke. “Open-minded…?” That felt oddly vague. Vague enough to remind her of what things were like right as they were just starting to explore their “alternate” lifestyle.

Joyce turned from the stove and rested her hands on Emily’s shoulders. “Nothing you haven’t seen before. Just wrapped in a new bow.”

Obviously Emily couldn’t fully decipher the meaning, but a sixth sense told her that the dedicated trip to the nursery for a single pacifier wasn’t some arbitrary thing.

Joyce could see her looking down at the pacifier with a feeling of trepidation. Joyce gently lifted her gaze with a finger supporting her chin.

“Don’t be scared. I’m not going to say I’ve thought of everything; this is something I really only started to play with recently. That being said, I don’t think what we’ll do is something you’ll hate. It’s just going to be...different.”

“Different…? Joyce, I don’t get what you mean...” Emily expressed her concerns in the form of visual, yet Joyce’s comforting smile did not falter.

“We’ll chat about it once we eat dinner, okay?” She cupped Emily’s cheeks as she kissed her forehead. “I just think maybe there’s a way we can change up the routine, is all.” She lowered her hand to raise the one Emily was using to hold the pacifier. “Why don’t you hang onto this for now?”

“Joyce...” Emily thought she could see what Joyce was implying, and it honestly felt like a diminutive fix. “I’m not an actual baby...you can’t just...” She sighed a tiny bit, realizing that she was starting to contradict the very person she begged for guidance.

“Pacifiers don’t solve problems for real babies, too, you know?” Joyce giggled as she took it from her hand. “Pacifiers do exactly what they’re called. They pacify,” she explained as she gently forced it back between Emily’s lips. “If you’re angry, sad, or even a little excited, think of this as a way to distract yourself or maybe an outlet to channel all that emotion? Emily, nothing meaningful has ever been done in a single day. You’ve been working so hard since the first day you lost your job, and I can’t tell you how proud that makes me. But now I want you to just calm down...and breathe.”

Emily wanted to speak, to contradict or express her doubts, but she felt that if this imaginary spell was going to work, maybe she should stay gullible for at least a little longer. She took a moment and breathed through her nose, leaving the pacifier right where Joyce left it.

“See?” Joyce stroked the top of her head. “We just spent a whole minute calming down, focusing on ourselves rather than anything unimportant!” Joyce chuckled. “We’re still doing just fine. You’re doing fine. We still have our house, and everything is as stable as it’s always been.”

Emily had furrowed her brow, yet admittedly the crease in her forehead had lessened.

“And you look like less of a worrywart now, too.” Joyce smiled. “Emily, I will never make light of your problems. Your struggles are mine just as much, but I need you to know that this isn’t as all-consuming as you might think. If I have to pull you aside like this to remind you of that, I won’t hesitate, understood?”

Emily instinctually wanted to reply, but reserved herself to a visual nod. She did feel calmer now.

It was more than enough for Joyce. “Good. We’ll have plenty of time to brainstorm during dinner and I can voice my suggestions then. For the time being though, just try not to have too many big thoughts, okay?” She tapped her finger on the plastic shield. “This is your friendly reminder. Stay small for a little bit. We’ll tackle things as we need to.”

It was with reddened cheeks Emily continued to help make dinner. It was a weird limbo situation though. She wasn’t exactly Emily, but not Emmy either. As she helped cook with a pacifier in her mouth, Joyce still seemed to regard her as her normal self, albeit with a little more comfort in her words, like Emily needing handling with kid gloves in regard to her emotions.

“Howh mush lohnger?” Emily found herself asking around the pacifier. The sentence was finished before she could regret the attempt as a pacifier accent seemed to override her speech.

“Should be just a few more minutes,” Joyce flashed her an unperturbed smile, like the sight or sound itself wasn’t especially stimulating to Joyce, of all people, in any seeming way.

Emily figured there to be some kind of teasing or sly comment, but it never came. Maybe it was her way of being considerate, or how to treat this as some kind of normal.

If I need this, she probably doesn’t want to make a big deal out of it… Emily silently reflected.

“Okay...” Joyce decided to untie and slip her apron off. “Emily? Could you put these back in the closet?” She asked as she held the apron out for her.

Emily quietly nodded as she took her own apron off, but not quite before Joyce could give her a hand in undoing the knot behind her first.

After she pulled it off, Emily was then hit with a one-two as Joyce briefly rested her arms on Emily’s shoulders, gently tugging the pacifier from her mouth and planting a kiss on her temple.

“Thank you for helping me cook!”

“I can always help...” Emily said in a shy voice as she walked over to the closet.

As they ate, Emily couldn’t bring herself to have much conversation. Joyce did chat casually, like there wasn’t some impending bomb Emily expected her to drop at any moment.

“What’s wrong?” Joyce asked with a concerned look. “Wait...it doesn’t taste bad, does it?” A look of horror started to consume her.

“No, it tastes fine...” Emily mumbled with a slight grin as she angled her gaze closer to the table than Joyce’s eyes. “I’m just...a little scared...”

“Scared?”

Emily nodded. “I dunno...” She looked more clearly at her, “I’m just thinking that whatever it is that’s gonna happen...I might not like it cuz...it’s gonna scare me...”

Joyce nodded thoughtfully, yet with stupefying clarification she asked, “So you’re scared that this ‘thing’ will scare you?”

Of course when repeated through another mouth, Emily felt stupid…

“Emily,” Joyce left a moment to get her full attention, “I don’t necessarily think you should stop looking for work; if that’s what you want, I respect that. However, I think you need to slow down your pace.”

It was a no-brainer, yet the thought of any kind of delay did make Emily worry. It only made her think of all the potential opportunities she could have had, had she been any faster. It was the fear of missing out.

“How...how slow?” Emily hesitantly asked. She didn’t figure there was a specific number in mind, yet she needed to know how deep this went.

With, in fact, a specific number in mind, Joyce said, “An hour a day at most, kind of slow. And that’s for the weekdays only. Weekends I don’t want you stressing over that kind of stuff.”

“An hour…? But that’s...” Emily had an idea in mind, yet Joyce’s figure grossly underbid her own. She was already spending the near entirety of her day job searching, and cutting it down to a mere fraction of that was essentially killing her chances altogether, wasn’t it?

“With how things have been, Emily, I think that’s perfectly reasonable.” Joyce said firmly. “I’m going to be honest because I want to make a point to you: there’s absolutely no rush in you getting another job. I intend to be the breadwinner and I will be the financial support. Aside from that though, I’d never stop you from doing what you want, but I will regulate it, now that you’ve asked me to?” She smiled, but Emily was still looking conflicted.

Emily tried to reason Joyce’s viewpoint. It was somewhat unfortunate, but Emily had always known before Joyce saying it herself that she couldn’t ever hope to financially compare. Joyce was the foundation, and whatever Emily contributed in that sphere likely couldn’t do nearly as much. Or rather, money was such an excess for Joyce that the concept of spending had become effectively bottomless, so what did it matter adding 1 to infinity?

“Related to that,” Joyce continued, “I think this is a good chance to add some structure to your routine. Just because you aren’t working, that doesn’t mean a day can’t be productive? First and foremost, we’re going to decide on a time in the day when you can use the computer to job hunt-- Emily, don’t make a face.” Joyce paused herself just to scold the girl, who was starting to make a face…

“I don’t need a specific time…!” Emily argued with a tinge of whine. It was one thing to be imposed with a harsh time restriction, but when she was allowed for it as well?

“Yes you do,” Joyce gently, yet firmly contradicted, “otherwise you could be overlapping with all the other things that’ll keep your day busy?”

The mention of other things surprised Emily a little, but she sort of expected it… But still, “What happens if I get an email, or a reply to a job offer or interview? I need to respond as soon as possible!”

While this was constructive and it felt needed, Joyce’d be lying if she said that there wasn’t some element of “parenting” to this that she felt, and certainly enjoyed.

“We can discuss that when it happens,” Joyce decided, “But until then, I won’t budge.”

Emily felt defeated. There wouldn’t be any room for argument in getting that to expand. It was probably going to be the one thing of this entire bill that she wouldn’t negotiate on, given it being her greatest grievance... “What else…?” She asked her.

Joyce quietly sighed, now arriving to the parts she wasn’t a fan of personally. It was likely trivial to Emily, but Joyce wasn’t excited about sharing her responsibilities, at least with Emily. In a power dynamic that poised Joyce at the top as the dominant caregiver, it felt wrong to make her charge participate, like giving her housework.

“I...want to give you some chores to do on a daily basis.”

“Chores…?” Emily asked, surprised.

Joyce nodded. “Things like running the dishwasher, making the bed...vacuuming...” Now her lack of preparedness was starting to show. This was obviously something she didn’t want to dig into because she didn’t like the idea altogether. Yet, the duality was that it benefited Emily despite Joyce’s selfish suffering.

“I don’t mind,” Emily spoke truthfully, “but...are you okay with it?”

“Yes, I am,” Joyce smiled warmly as she lied through her teeth. “We can make a chart,” she did start to see the fun side of things, imagining a cute chore chart for Emily on the fridge, “and that can help keep you busy for at least a little bit.”

Call it weird, but Emily didn’t mind the idea of housework. She said it herself and quite clearly that it was eternal boredom without Joyce, as well as tiring from job hunting. Not that she wanted to stop, but she knew her body needed to rest; she just needed someone to force her into it.

“I can vacuum the rooms and wash the bedding?” Emily chimed in, better shaping Joyce’s ideas.

“Mhm, that could definitely work,” Joyce nodded.

“Oh, and I guess I could tidy up the nurse--”

“Absolutely not.” Joyce didn’t look so friendly this time, like one of her prized assets was about to be attacked. “I want to be the one in charge of the nursery; I’m your mommy, after all.” The seriousness in her look was almost absurd to the point that the uninformed would be expected to laugh, or find the look on her face quite strange. Emily, however, instantly understood just how much it meant to her. In a strange way, giving these sorts of duties to Joyce was a big step for her, oddly enough…

“O...okay...” Emily nodded, seeing that she nearly crossed a line. “Everywhere but there?”

Joyce paused, considering any loopholes she may have left. “That’s fine. But, let me know if any of this feels like it’s too much for you, okay?” Her expression softened. “I don’t want to overload you...”

“Joyce,” Emily gave a look that thought her to be a fool, “Up until recently I was working full time...I can do some chores.” She chuckled.

“I know, I know...” She smiled, happy to see that at least Emily could make mention of it now without sour feelings.

“Is that it…?” Emily asked, not implying whether she wanted more or not, just wanting to know in general.

“...” Joyce took a bite from her food first. “It can be?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’d say we’re past the point of me getting to make decisions based on what I want. Now I want to include you; what we both want.”

For once, Emily felt like she could see a little into Joyce’s headspace. “You mean, something related to the pacifier?” Again, she didn’t think that it was an unrelated, out-of-the-blue sort of thing.

Joyce nodded. “To be honest, I think it might help you out a little.”

And like that, Emily had fallen off the wagon. “How so…?”

“We haven’t even mentioned your nursery once in the past week, Emily.” Joyce tried to hide her own frustrations, because she knew that this would be good for her as well. Deep down though, this idea wasn’t out of complete self interest. “I know we’ve had obstacles in the past, but I really want to give you a space in the day where you can just unwind; forget about the complicated stuff and focus on relaxing.”

“What about you?” Emily asked after a moment of silence.

“I don’t want to talk about me because I don’t want it to influence you,” Joyce said, “I want you to be selfish, Emily.”

What she wasn’t sharing were the benefits she’s reap from this as well. It wasn’t any secret to herself that Emily being in poor sorts lately has affected Joyce and her attitude at the office. Nothing jeopardizing, but more than anything she simply wanted their old dynamic back, if not toned up a bit.

“How would that work…?” She asked hesitantly.

“Well, I guess it’d start once I get home from work each day. Assuming that all the chores have been done by then, we’ll go to the nursery and get you all set up. For the rest of the night you’ll get to be my baby girl.”

“What about in the morning, though?” Emily asked, already wondering what was to be done with her diaper. Joyce did leave early in the morning, after all.

“I’ll make sure to get you into some panties before I leave,” Joyce chuckled, “I feel pretty confident that you’ll sleep through it anyway.”

“Yeah, but, if we do it every day...doesn’t that mean I won’t ever have a chance to have…’grown-up’ time around you?” She most certainly didn’t like that. Being a baby was fun, but it wasn’t a complete end-all be all. She needed some kind of breathing room around Joyce.

“You most certainly will. First and foremost, you’ll always be the one that decides if we’re going to do it that night. If you say ‘yes’, we go to your nursery, but if it’s a ‘no’, you won’t hear me mention it until the next day. Emily, even when you are my little girl, there’s nothing stopping you from asking or talking about what you want, you know? The way I see it, all we’re really doing is giving you a space that discourages that sort of thing, but it’s not like you can’t be yourself. This isn’t meant to be you putting on an act; I want this to be an outlet for yourself.”

“It is,” Emily found herself agreeing almost immediately, “but...I dunno. Maybe too much of a good thing is a bad thing? I guess we haven’t really tried...”

“Maybe, but if we might have those kinds of limits, this is a safe way for us to explore them. At any point you make it clear that you want to stop, we stop.”

They ate some more as Emily took a deep breath, finally starting to fully wrap her head around everything. She didn’t expect this sort of thing to be the rest of her life, but she knew that it was going to be like this for at least a little bit. Her bias still couldn’t shake the urgency she felt to strive for “adult” things, but she finally caved and Joyce was telling her to stop, so stopping she ever so reluctantly was.

“So it all starts tomorrow…?” She asked as Joyce started to clear up their spaces.

“I think it’d be best,” Joyce offered, but added much more resolutely, “but regardless, your computer time is still being limited.”

Emily limited her disappointment to her mouth as she nodded. In that case, tomorrow would go back to being the sucky status quo she’d already found herself in if there wasn’t anything at all to do. “Then let’s start tomorrow.” Emily agreed.

“And about the second half we discussed,” Joyce explained as she came over to wipe Emily’s face in a casual manner, “you are always in control, and like I said, you always decide whether we’ll do it or not, but...please give me a gentle reminder if I accidentally get pushy after a while...”

“You mean if we haven’t done it in a bit?” She asked, wiping the residue of water off her mouth.

Joyce nodded with a slightly bashful look. “We’ve talked a lot about how I can sort of lose control, and I know you understand how I can get, but...it’s still sort of embarrassing.”

“It’s okay if it happens,” Emily smiled, “I mean, I’d rather not be asked every few minutes, but if its been what you think is a long time, please let me know; I...I get it that this is supposed to be for me, but it’s obviously something for you, too.” Need she remind Joyce that she was the one who pulled her into the rabbit hole first? 

“That sounds good to me.” Joyce nodded her head. “I love you so much, you know?”

“...I love you too.” Emily reciprocated with a goofy smile and reddened cheeks. It still elicited a fuzzy feeling in her chest just to hear and say those words.

They came in together for a hug and embraced one another, yet as they shared an intimate moment, it was disrupted by a loud, sniffing.

Emily turned her head up to see a flaring nostril.

“Uh...what?” Emily giggled.

“Uh huh,” Joyce seemed unimpressed, “thought so.”

“Thought what?”

“I thought that you didn’t take a shower or bath today.”

The realization made Emily freeze up. She sniffed herself, not finding any sort of foul odor, but at least not a freshly imbued either. “I...was busy?”

“You were distracted,” Joyce disapproved. “We’re adding baths to your schedule, too. Come on, off we go,” she waved her hand to motion Emily ahead first.

“Showers are faster!” Emily complained with a sense of play, although she did feel a tiny bit embarrassed.

“Showers are for big girls that can keep themselves squeaky clean. I need to take my time with you!” She laughed after catching Emily’s grin. “Besides, I wanna monopolize every second I can get with you!” They both entered the bathroom.

---

Everything was at peace again as Emily and Joyce were dressed in their pajamas, sitting on the bed, specifically Emily in Joyce’s lap as she kept a towel wrapped around her head. Both were on their phones, only Joyce’s torso was a bit taller which allowed her phone to not block Emily’s.

Both were quietly browsing up until there was a sigh from Joyce.

“What?” Emily asked as she comically turned her gaze up to the ceiling.

“I just got some news from Sheila...” Joyce explained with a glum attitude. “Remember that business dinner my mom asked me about?”

Emily did her best to rack her brain, but nothing of substance was bubbling to the top. “Uh...”

“I have a business dinner coming up this week and I knew it’d be a late night, but I wasn’t expecting it to turn into something overnight...”

“What do you mean?” Emily started leaning back to dig her head into Joyce.

“The dinner’s at a hotel,” Joyce wrapped her arms around Emily’s waist and flopped on her back. “It’s a nice hotel, but of course the host thinks that he’s doing some of us guests a favor by buying us our own rooms for the night. You’d think people would stop doing that by now…?” She mostly complained amongst herself, because the concept of buying someone a hotel room for the night seemed like a gesture beyond Emily’s purse strings.

“Can’t you just turn it down?” Emily partly lifted herself to turn over and rest her chin on Joyce’s sternum.

“It wouldn’t look good,” Joyce said as she paused to groan, “being given a room usually means that there’s going to be some kind of breakfast in the morning...at least with this guy.”

“Maybe he has a thing for you?” Emily cheekily giggled, but Joyce didn’t outwardly laugh.

“Well, if he tries to make a move like that, I’ll just explain that I’m too busy managing your naps and bedtime...” She carried away with the thought like it was an honest threat.

“Take a joke!” Emily giggled as the smile did eventually come to Joyce’s face. “What kinda host is it?”

“He manages breweries. I can’t say I know much about the business behind alcohol, though.” Joyce gave a ‘no idea’ kind of look. “I don’t think I’m someone special to him, though; he does this for just about any big head that gets invited to his stuff.”

“So you’re a big head?” Emily asked, sneakily prodding for information on Joyce.

“I’m a mommy who played her cards right.” She smiled as she deflected the chance for inquiry, yet went back to frowning. “But, if he makes me stay the night, I’m not going to be back to spend the night with you!” Now it sounded as if a grave injustice had been committed.

Emily didn’t exactly look pleased either as she shrugged. “It’s okay...It’s only one night, and it sounds like this is for your reputation?”

“It is...” Joyce bit her lower lip in thought. “You...you could always come with me?” Joyce perked up at the realization.

“Huh? Go to the business dinner with you?” Emily looked a tad bit nervous. “I don’t wanna intrude on that kinda stuff...”

“You wouldn’t be intruding on anything,” Joyce patted the top of her toweled head. “Believe me, plus ones are more common than not. If anything, you’d help me stand out less?”

Emily’s mind couldn’t help but drift to a slightly more sensitive area though. “Yeah but...even if you’re dating another woman…?”

Joyce didn’t seem to be fazed, however. “I don’t think it’d affect much?” Joyce chuckled. “Really, all that worries me is the other thing about us going public. Which it won’t,” she reassured Emily and herself. “I might just surprise a few people in my spheres,” she giggled. “Most importantly, I would be a little excited at the idea of showing you off…?”

“Showing me off? Like I’m a prize or something?” Emily asked with intrigue.

“Other than the person themselves, one of the most fun parts about having a lover is the exclusivity,” Joyce smiled even wider as she leaned her head forward to kiss her. “I get to show everyone how stunning you are and make it abundantly clear that no one else can have you. It goes both ways, you know?”

“What would I even say?” Emily asked. “I mean...I dunno if I could handle trying to socialize with any sorta bigwigs...I imagine if we weren’t dating and I just met you, you’d probably be sort of intimidating...”

“That’s why you’d be on a tight leash the whole night?” Joyce offered as a solution. “Where I go, you go, vice versa. There’d be lots of yummy food there, too...” She added with coyness.

“Like buffet food?” Emily asked with a neutral face. Unfortunately, those never seemed to be too stellar. A bunch of heated aluminum trays filled with lukewarm food.

“Dunno, but I’d wager the food you’d have there is better than mine; probably a little above Carmine’s?”

Above Carmine’s? That was setting the bar, and Emily falling for the bait was showing. “...I don’t even have a dress ready...” Now she was simply being difficult for fun.

Joyce rolled her eyes. “Like you haven’t been pampered like a princess already. Of course you’ll have something to wear! Now come on; wanna come, or do you want to make me lonely for the entire night?”

“Fine, fine...I’ll go.”

“Great!” Joyce smiled with a giggle. “I’ll ask Amy about getting us a child leash, and--”

“Shut-uuup!” Emily groaned, rearing her head back to devour her prey like a beast as she smothered Joyce with a kiss on the lips.

Joyce could only flash her teeth with a squeamish noise of glee as she unwrapped the towel from Emily’s head just so she could run her hands through her hair. “I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to see you be so playful!” It was her way of saying how great it was to finally have her away from the computer.

“Yeah, well, you didn’t give me much of a choice...” Emily said light-heartedly, but there was some truth to it.

“Shush,” Joyce pressed a finger on her lips. “You’re going to be absolutely fine. Now let’s get to bed already; I feel like it’s been a millennia since we both went to bed at the same time!”

As Joyce leaned over for the lights, Emily oddly found herself scanning her gaze across the bed, feeling like there was something missing.

“Oops, almost forgot him!” A voice could be heard as a stuffed mochi fell into the valley between Emily and Joyce’s bodies.

“Where’d he go?” Emily asked, truthfully forgetting their last meeting.

“You left him in the bathroom,” Joyce grinned, “I made sure to blow-dry him, though; it was a little humid there...”

“Since when do you dry off mochi?” Emily laughed.

“Since they started having hair.” Joyce played along, but realism quickly caught up with her mind. “Actually...” she wore a slightly grossed out look, “hairy sweets doesn’t exactly sound all that great...”

Emily shuffled herself closer against Joyce in bed. “And I’m supposed to be the silly one...”

“No, no, don’t worry, you still definitely are...” Joyce stretched as she found a comfortable position, one that involved Emily’s head nuzzled close against her chest.

Most certainly for Emily, it felt like the greatest sleep she’d had in a millennia.

Emily,

    Good morning! I made sure to give you a big big kiss before I left for work! Today’s the first day we’re trying out a new routine, and I haven’t made anything official yet, so I wanted to leave you a note. Today, I want you to do a couple chores around the house.

1. Make the bed (Tug the corners of the bedding to get out all the wrinkles!)
2. Vacuum the living room (I already plugged it in the wall by the TV for you!)
3. Make yourself some lunch (You’ve earned it!)
4. Call me at 12:30PM (I need my recharge!)
*5. 1:00-2:00PM You may use the computer for job searching (This one is OPTIONAL!)
6. Put our clothes in the washer at 3:30PM. (I have the washer all set for you, just press the ‘Start’ button. I’ll take care of the rest when I get home!)
7. Don’t cry too much from missing me! (30 more minutes!)
8. Wait 30 minutes
9. Give me the BIGGEST hug you can when I walk through the door!

    Make sure you don’t overexert yourself today, okay? Call me right away if there’s something you don’t understand or if you just wanna hear my voice! I love you so so so so so so much! XOXOXO                            - Joyce ❤

Emily had never seen Joyce write this letter, or any kind of letter, so there was room for it being a fake message and from someone else, yet...as she finished reading with a stupid grin on her face, she knew it couldn’t be anyone but the very Joyce herself. It was a lot of words and a lot of love for really three small things to do in the house, padded out by her own interests, as well as keeping herself fed and speaking with Joyce. Hopefully her list of tasks would expand, but for now this was a start.

Leaving the small note on the kitchen table, Emily walked over to the fridge to at least have breakfast before washing up to start the day. She tended to those exact things, noticing the vacuum sitting by the wall as she passed through the living room, and first moved back into the bedroom.

The bed wasn’t a complete mess, but obviously it had just been slept in. Trying to channel what would have been her working energy into housley duties, Emily took the route of completely stripping the top of the bed just to neaten it down to the very sheets. Overkill most likely, yet Emily felt that if she was too average about it, she’d be out of things to do in a matter of minutes.

And while she worked she started to think to herself on the lack of things to do. If Emily could estimate it, even if she gave her all for these tasks, which she planned to, there’d still definitely be time in excess...time she could use to browse on the computer…

Her mind felt a little at odds with her heart though. She agreed with Joyce that she’d have designated computer time… But if it were in moderation, maybe? And, as long as she got the stuff done on the list that she wanted, wouldn’t it bolster her case that she could balance both things? Prove she didn’t have to be so restricted? As she reorganized the bed, it was coming closer to a decided conclusion…

One honest and thorough vacuuming later it wasn’t even time for lunch yet; just shy of two hours off. As expected, Joyce gave her an ample amount of time. Strangely finding herself looking out for anyone in the apartment that didn’t exist, Emily crept off to the office. Untouched, Emily sat down in the chair. She wiggled the mouse and the screen came to life. 

Just maybe thirty minutes to check on my emails and stuff… Maybe look at a few postings…

 

---

Despite it being just another day in the office, Sheila was glad to see that her boss seemed a bit more alert and on task today. It was as if her earlier troubles had sorted themselves out. Either than, or maybe she’d detached herself from the person that she told her about. Either way, her performance was back to where it usually was, and that was a good thing.

“Oh, Sheila, that’s right,” Joyce said as she accepted her scheduled drink, “I guess I am staying at the hotel the night of the dinner.” She said it with a smile, which didn’t flag as a problem for Sheila, but it did seem a tinge of strange. She’d never known her boss to be exactly glad over gestures like that. Maybe the first few times, but they tend to add up to the point of being an inconvenience. Sheila didn’t always accompany her, but even from the sidelines it was sort of understandable…

“That’s good to know,” Sheila nodded as she made a note on her phone. “I’ll make sure to confirm your reservation later today.”

“Thank you. Oh, one more thing, can you make sure that the reservation is for two?”

“Two?” Sheila asked, signaling it as confirmation for her ears, but she was honestly surprised.

She nodded with a faint glow on her face, like the sun itself was shining from her imagination. “Oh, and that also reminds me; do you want to come, too? I heard that the food is going to be good?”

“I appreciate the offer, Ms.Summers, but I’d rather not impose on something like that… If it were for work-related things though, I’d be willing...”

“I wouldn’t want you to work the night of a dinner,” Joyce waved off the notion. Truthfully, everything with Emily had put her in a good mood. She was feeling generous, and Sheila’s hard work was always due for some kind of reward.

“What if I put you up in a room, at least?” Joyce continued to press, then she remembered hearing from Sheila something on a not so great night. “You and your boyfriend? It’s the least I could do for all your hard work?” And need she mention all the things that she asked of Sheila in excess…

“Ms.Summers, I couldn’t do that to you. I really do appreciate it, but we don’t need to--”

“But I want to?” Joyce pushed.

“I don’t want you to.” Sheila said politely, but firmly.

Joyce resisted a grin. Fortunately and not so fortunately, she didn’t fold like Emily usually would.

“You haven’t taken any vacations this year yet, right?” Joyce asked. If there was one thing she certainly could remember about Sheila, it was the times that she wasn’t there, awfully because those were so few and far between. “How about that then? You take the day off and I give you and your boyfriend a hotel room? Is it not a nice hotel?”

“It is...but if I’m going to be there, I should be on the clock to help--”

“But if you were on the clock, how could I get you to justify accepting my generosity?” Joyce raised an eyebrow. “Sheila, let me pay you back a little for everything that you do?”

Accepting gifts wasn’t Sheila’s strongest suit. They were nice, but as the supporting role for so long, minimal recognition had simply been the norm. To disrupt that was...well, disruptive.

“I...suppose I can ask my boyfriend...” Sheila gave no definitive answer. She wasn’t going to try and talk her boyfriend out of it, but she still didn’t feel wholly comfortable. Maybe it was weird to think, yet it felt like she hadn’t done anything to earn it? Which objective was being extremely modest, given just how much Sheila considered her tasks to be the status quo. And on another note, a dog sitter would be in line as well.

“Good!” Joyce nodded with approval. “You don’t have to come to the business dinner, but try to go out to eat? Do something fun; collect receipts for me. I’ll reimburse you for everything.”

“I can’t do that!” Sheila raised her voice a little, quickly composing herself. “A room is more than enough, Ms.Summers. I can’t take advantage of you. It’d be a day off, anyway?”

Joyce sighed, but still looked happy to have made progress. “Well, if you can go, that’s great; book yourself a room, don’t be stingy, because at the minimum I’m at least paying for that. From there, just let me know if there’s any other kind of bill.”

It was most certainly all a definitive maybe in Sheila’s mind, yet gratitude was of course in need. “Thank you for being so generous, Ms.Summers...”

“Thank you for always keeping me afloat,” Joyce smiled. Be it in the office or the home, she always seemed to have someone supporting her now.

Sheila excused herself while Joyce continued with her work with a drink to help her move along. It was already a regular thing for her, but especially now she was eager to get back home. All the little things she wrote on the note that was left for Emily made her heart flutter and fueled the excitement she was having just to walk through the door. Would Emily really be waiting to give her a hug? She couldn’t wipe a silly grin off her face just from thinking about it. But before that’d even happen, there was also the time that she’d get to talk to her; in all honesty, that was her favorite. It was like a small recharge that she could use to power herself through the rest of the day.

Will she call first?

Joyce had her guesses, yet continued to play the innocent schoolgirl as she worked away. As her fingers moved so did the time, passing and passing, broken up by a few more talks with Sheila and hearing from other executives. No official meetings yet, thankfully. But, beyond all that boorish routine, the clock was finally arriving at noon-thirty and it was just about time to talk to Emily. Maybe she was making a big deal out of it, but Joyce still made sure that her phone was in clear sight just in case if the ringing somehow didn’t catch her attention.

Once it was past a couple minutes, Joyce set aside her work, paying direct attention to her phone.

“Maybe she’s busy…?” Joyce quietly murmured, lifting up her phone. She knew she was being overly punctual. Maybe just a few more minutes.

12:35

12:39

12:44

12:49

Finally, Joyce was somewhat frowning with a concerned expression. While there wasn’t much experience to make a fair judgement on something like this, Emily didn’t seem the type to forget about calling her. Giving up on the waiting game, Joyce dialed for Emily on her phone.

---

Emily finally remembered to blink as she rubbed her eyes a little. She was in the midst of writing another cover letter. Easily this is what ate away at her the most, namely because it forced her to exercise her writing muscle, of which she had so little of.

Unbeknownst to her, the time she’d been on the computer grossly passed 30 minutes over 2 hours ago. After a good night’s rest her body felt refreshed to find the rhythm again that put her in such a sorry state all over again. Not only that, but the rhythm apparently involved a faint vibrational buzzing noise now, yet it pulsated with its noise. Emily stopped for a second to see if she was hearing things, which she assumed she was, because eventually it did stop.

“...I’ll just finish this letter, apply to the other position, then it should probably be time to call Joyce...” She muttered to herself, tracking the time on a sense of feeling rather than visual observation.

---

A missed call. Joyce didn’t like the sight of that. Now it really fell out of Emily’s habits. She tried calling again, but it rang right up until the voicemail. Was everything okay at home? Did something happen? Or maybe she just fell asleep… With that in mind, it certainly was likely. Yet still, losing out on her chance to hear from Emily put a visible frown on her face, like a promised surprise that wasn’t going to happen.

Finally though Joyce had enough of the pointless thinking. She navigated through her phone until she had her snapshot back into the apartment via the security cameras. She didn’t have any plans to snoop on Emily, she just wanted to make sure that she was okay…

Though, there wasn’t anyone to be found. At least, not in the kitchen, not the living room, not the guest room, not even their own bedroom? While the nursery had no camera inside of it, a funny coincidence considering it wasn’t initially planned to be one, it was locked, and only Joyce had a key. There was only one place left to check, but obviously she wasn’t going to be in there. After all, she had no business there until…

And yet of course, there she was. Joyce’s concern shriveled up as soon as she saw Emily, absorbed yet again on the computer as she typed away. She couldn’t see what Emily was up to, but if Joyce could guess, it was an answer she would not be happy with.

She sighed as she put down her phone, feeling what she’d best equate to disappointment. Emily had promised her, and by some way or another she had convinced herself to break it. Was she mad at her? No, of course not, but it meant to Joyce that she was apparently being too soft.

---

“Done...” Emily sighed as she somehow found a moment of reprise in the vicious cycle of job hunting. It was long enough for her to check the time, instantly feeling a worrisome feeling in her chest. It was nearly 2:30. All she could wonder in a panic was where the time had gone. Like a cold splash of water she was sober of her technological addition and rapidly closed everything on screen.

“Shit…! I was supposed to call her!” Emily realized far too late as she practically jumped out of the chair. “Phone, phone?!” She shouted for the inanimate companion, feeling even worse as that distant buzzing she thought to be mindless noises was actually an important call.

It was laying on the nightstand in their room where she had left it while making the bed. Sure enough, her heart sank even further once she saw the missed calls from Joyce.

Just as she was about to call her, she stopped for a moment.

What if it was a bad time to call now? She could be in a meeting or something? Emily stared down at the screen with a troubled look. Knowing Joyce, she was probably worried; she would want to hear from Emily in some way at least. If not call, then…

TO: JOYCE

Emily: I’m sososososososo sorry! I was supposed to call!!

She sat on the bed nervously with her knees pulled into her chest. Call it a small growing dependency, but she was kneading her toes into the top of Pip who had been nearby. A few minutes later and a reply came.

Joyce: I’m in a meeting right now… can’t really talk. Were you sleeping?

Apparently she was right about the meeting part, which made her sigh with relief that she did choose to text her instead. But in her text, there weren't any warm or fuzzy words. She was busy, so it made sense why there wouldn’t be, yet Emily couldn’t help but let her guilty conscious already see it as a targeted message.

And that part hurt the most. The thought of disappointing Joyce. It was supposed to be day one. The start of something new; rehabilitation. And yet she’d already gone and blown it. What would Joyce think? Emily was better than this. She should know better. She could do better. She was certain to… So,.with a lesson like this already taught to herself...if Joyce didn’t know, maybe it’d be better to just forget about it just this once…?

It was a good scare for Emily and it still left Joyce happy. That being said, she’d have to be extra sure to make it up to Joyce when she got home, even if she doesn’t know the full story…

Emily: Sorry...I dozed off after vacuuming…

The guilt she felt was immeasurable, yet she knew it was a plausible explanation. She wasn’t lying maliciously; it was a white lie… Joyce did it all the time too, didn’t she? So how was this any different? They both had their secrets, so, this was fine...It was okay…

There wasn’t any response, and Emily left it alone with the assumption that Joyce didn’t have time to get back to her. Feeling scared straight now, Emily avoided the office like the plague as she tried to keep herself busy. Just to make herself feel like she was still a good person, she tried to adhere to Joyce’s list by making herself lunch even if it did come late.

Even if she was being an adult right now, she knew the exact feeling she was going through right now. Naughtiness. Not the sexy, fun kind. But the remorseful, troublesome one. It was what made her feel so small right then despite it being an honest mistake… Everything was going to be fine, yet she lied to Joyce to keep the peace and seemingly got away with it.

She tried to forget about it as the day went on, calming down as the time passed…

---

Joyce didn’t move for a second as she stared at the door leading into the apartment, but braced herself for whatever, given what she saw this morning over the cameras. Upon opening the door there was no one waiting for her at the entrance. She frowned a little, honestly disappointed, even if it was sort of joking that she wanted a hug when she came back.

I totally wanted one… She silently pouted in her head.

Turning around she closed the door and slipped off her heels.

“Welcome...BACK!” A loud voice shouted with a wavering quiver as it came with a burst of energy. Joyce slightly stumbled to the door once a pair of arms assaulted her from behind, wrapping tightly around her waist.

“E-Emily?” Joyce chuckled as she tried to turn her head around, yet her eyes widened as she saw what she thought she did.

With a beet-red face Emily was pressing herself up against Joyce firmly, eyes sealed shut and keeping her lips pursed. While it was strange to see her like that despite the loud and energetic voice, it started to seem more forced than casual once Joyce noticed her distinct lack of clothes. No shirt, pants, nothing. Not even underwear.

“W-welcome home...” Emily hugged tighter still from behind as her feet touched the cold slate of the shoe area.

Joyce finally worked her hands off of her so she could swap for a frontal hug, which Emily continued to embrace strongly like her modesty depended on it. “H-hello to you too...” Joyce still kept an awkward expression, clearly not expecting this to be her greeting home. “Emily...why are you naked?”

“C-...cuz I felt like it...” She tried to look pouty with a protruded lip and pupils to the side, yet her furrowed brow and tomato-red cheeks seemed to sorely contradict whatever act she was trying to go for. Joyce figured there was more to whatever game she was playing, but she also figured Emily was too embarrassed to put it all out into words at once.

“Uh...huh?” Joyce smiled a bit, finding a bit of control again once it became obviously clear that Emily was struggling so dearly to be off-the-cuff. “And what’s the reason for that?”

“Be...cuz...cuz I...I put all my panties in the wash,” Emily says with a weak ‘hmmf’, already abandoning her stubborn, cool-guy attitude for a different, logical progression kind of trope. Her foreplay was crumbling on account of being too embarrassed to actually carry it out.

“All of them…?” Joyce seriously considered it for a second, then had a change of tune once she remembered her own promise. Was this her way of saying that she was ready for baby time?

“Well, in that case, it doesn’t sound like you’ve got any panties to wear, huh?” Joyce said, repeating Emily’s own words, yet with a hammer and stake to solidify the loose logic Emily had laid out so hastily.

“Y-yeah…?” Emily started to confirm with diction, yet it fell apart just as fast into a question.

Had this been a stage production Joyce would have scolded her for making it sound like she herself was the mastermind, but she let it slide on account of her benevolence. “Yes, that is what it sounds like. And you certainly know that my panties won’t fit you either?”

Emily had slowly been burying her face into Joyce, still in absolute personal disbelief she had willed herself to fling at Joyce butt-naked. Hopefully this was giving the effect she wanted…

“Mhm...”

Joyce tutted, slowly pulling Emily back by the wrists to bring her full naked self into view.

Emily was like a stumbling doe, nearly slipping over as she tried to follow Joyce’s movements yet simultaneously keep her knees together to mask her crotch.

“Now, now,” Joyce gave a stern look, “it’s nothing I haven’t seen before,” she chided.

And with extreme reluctance and a small whimper, Emily did shakily pull her knees apart. It was hard to believe she thought that she could pull a bratty act on Joyce while looking like this.

Joyce exaggerated a long sigh. “Well since it’s come to this and you’ve gotten rid of all your big girl undies, I guess that really only leaves us with what really seems to be the more appropriate choice for you, doesn’t it?”

Emily quietly nodded with shaky legs. “Uh...uh-huh...”

And as Joyce looked at her with a waning shock factor, she remembered that Emily already had broken her promise by using the computer so early today. Keeping that in mind, it may have made a little sense as to why Emily was acting so brazenly right now. Maybe working extra hard for brownie points to cushion the moment Joyce inevitably found out? That is, assuming she hadn’t already...

Fine. If Emily wanted to do this on account of guilt, Joyce would let her.

“And what would that be?” Joyce asked as she crouched to come eye to eye with the embarrassed, naked girl. “Hm? Tell me,” she smiled, “Since you were a silly girl and lost all your panties in the wash, what does that mean you have to wear now?”

“D-diapers...” Emily managed to say, but not without looking away. A few fingers found her chin though as they steered her gaze back at Joyce.

“I can’t hear you if you look away, honey,” Joyce put on her best chuckle, the kind of laugh a gentle villainess would use. But in Joyce’s headcanon, this was all perfectly justified. “Go on, what do we need to put you in? Say it clearly.”

“D-...diapers...” Emily said once more, only quieter as she did her best to look straight on, her face feeling hotter than it had ever been before.

“That’s right!” Joyce beamed. “Diapers! Thick, cushy diapers for my little girl,” she smiled as she raised her hand along Emily’s wrist to turn it into a holding of hands than a dragging of the wrist. Though it was virtually the same as Joyce assumed the lead in walking to the nursery.

The door was unlocked in a matter of seconds, and Emily was right on the changing table not much long after.

It’s been too too long! Joyce practically screamed in her head. She wanted to squeal with joy that they were finally using this space again, like they’d finally opened back up to their other halves after so long. It was like giving oxygen to just a single lung; it was wrong, unnatural, and unsustainable.

“Where did we ever get the idea of letting you get to have panties?” Joyce tutted as her outward, stern persona continued. “Maybe I’m the silly one for entertaining it...”

“Y-yeah...” Emily filled the space with whatever sounded most agreeable as her head felt fried from the overstimulation. Regardless, Joyce seemed to be in a good mood, so Emily considered it a success, especially because she looked like she didn’t find out about the computer, nor she had any suspicions…

Mission successful?

Joyce took a long breath as she smiled down at Emily from above, leaning over to take a diaper out of the basket. She giggled so sweetly as she knew this was going to be a great night; making good on the lovely, special diapered cuddles and adorable moments she’d been starved of for so long. And all the same, she’d get to force a confession out of Emily.

Emily’s generally embarrassed look froze a little as she heard Joyce chuckle and say,

“Ohh Emily...my sweet, sweet, adorable girl. My naughty, misbehaving little girl...” It was all in good fun, but there wouldn’t be fun without scolding.

As Emily laid there, the words felt out of place with how things had been moving. But they weren’t, and she knew that. The invisible chains of fate seemed to bridge her left-field comments to something she did this morning… Something she wasn’t supposed to do.

“So,” Joyce continued with still a rosy expression, “Would you like to tell me what you did first? Or should I think of my own punishment instead?”

---

There was the pleasant hum as Joyce cooked. Dinner would be ready soon and it will have been their first day  trying this new routine. And so far, all things considered, it has gone pretty well.

“J-Joyce…?” A sniffling, whimpering Emily moaned. 

“Yes, hon?” Joyce turned her head with a smile, facing the back of Emily’s head.

“I’m...” her voice trembled and was on the verge of tears. “I’m really sorry…!” She sobbed as she started to turn her head.

“I know you are,” Joyce tried not to laugh as she left the stove for a moment. “But keep that nose in the corner for ten more minutes,” she said as she gently steered Emily’s face back to the point where the two walls met.

“Sorry...” Emily moped, sounding even more disgusted and disappointed in herself.

“It’s alright. Once you finish your punishment, all is forgiven.” Joyce said a bit more compassionately as she straightened the waistband of Emily’s diaper, then walked back to the other end of the kitchen.

Funnily enough, once Joyce “confronted” Emily in the nursery, not more than a few seconds passed until Emily was an absolute mess. She couldn’t have spilled the truth any faster if she tried. Joyce mentioning a punishment was sort of a joke, but...obviously what Emily had done meant a lot to herself. Joyce was a little disappointed about what happened at first, though it felt unnecessary once she could see how much Emily was beating herself up over it already.

Then comes the more unusual part of the aftermath; the timeout. Emily was like a puppy that needed something to chew on. Or as another metaphor, she needed to “atone for her sins”, which wasn’t a lot, but maybe she’d feel better after? In other words, Emily essentially asked for a timeout… And as a passing thought which did make Joyce smile to herself was the likeness to an actual toddler. Then again, with the way Emily seemed to reflect so heavily, maybe even she’d give an actual kid a run for their money.

From Emily’s perspective, it was thirty minutes in a scorching hell. String her up, torture her by any means, pull out her teeth, pull out her tongue; anything! She couldn’t believe what she had done. She had promised Joyce, she told herself that she was going to commit to this. And yet, she failed on day one? Not only that, which was offensive on its own, but also her attempts to lie about it and hide the truth from Joyce. She was absolute scum. She deserved this. Only the lowest of the low deserved a punishment like this…

And again, back to Joyce’s perspective, all she could see was her girlfriend slouched over in the corner, looking like she had a teary scowl on her face. Under the guise of boiling water, Joyce sighed with a smile as she muttered, “My little crybaby...”

“Okay, Emily?” Joyce spoke up approximately ten minutes later. “It’s been thirty minutes, you can come out from the corner now.”

“Mhm...” Emily somberly nodded, slow in her motions to leave her grim prison.

“Don’t just ‘mhm’ me,” Joyce finally laughed as she hoisted Emily up onto her feet. “The punishment is over, so don’t act like it’s still going on?”

“It should be though!” Emily said. “I...what I did was bad, Joyce. I lied to you and I did what I was told not to do...”

“Yes, you did,” Joyce acknowledged, “but that’s why you’ll prove that you learned your lesson tomorrow? It’ll be the same situation, so just remember today when you start tomorrow.”

While the words meant well, Emily didn’t look very much inspired. Rather, the words were simply overpowered by Emily’s immense, and unnecessary guilt.

Finally Joyce was losing her patience with a roll of her eyes. “Do I need to pull down your diaper next and spank you to high heaven? Is that what you want?”

The bold suggestion caught Emily off guard. “N-no...”

“I don’t exactly want to do that either,” Joyce agreed, “so can we please forget about this now? I was a little upset at first Emily, but I’ve moved on, don’t you think you should too? You’re making me feel like I kicked a puppy.” She snickered, then gave her a toothy smile.”

“O...okay.” Emily nodded, finally feeling ready to put this to bed. Yet let it be known that she planned to carry this serious offense with her moving forward. A warrior steeled by their scars of the past.

“Good.” Joyce nodded with approval, lurching Emily forward with a firm slap on her padded rear. “Now sit that bottom down at the table. We’re eating and I want to hear all about the stuff you did today, then I’m going to tell you about mine,” She sounded almost like a drill sergeant despite the pleasant suggestion. “Understood?”

“Yes...” A smile finally started to come back to Emily’s face.

“That’s what I like to hear. Let me get some plates out.” She said as she reached for the higher cabinets.

For Emily’s sake, I probably should give her less opportunities for failure…

In retrospect, she probably should have seen this coming, but Emily was quite the self-destructive ball of emotions, come to find out.

Maybe Sheila might know something about computer software...

[BabySofia]

Glad to see an update here! Definitely need to put the parental controls on her screentime! ?

[YourFNF]

I would go nuts with screen time limitations but honestly I could have really used a Joyce when I was in school.... I might have actually finished my degree with somebody to keep me on task ?

[Guilend]

Good to see an update. Sometimes I need a Joyce in my life just to get me motivated to do stuff lol

[Sarah Penguin]

 

[kerry]

Yay! I've said it before, but my heart jumps a bit when I see there is a new chapter of this one. And such a cute chapter too! ?

[Bel George]

We always have to wait for a new chapter, but they are all gems.

As a reader, you would just get jealous of Emily and long for a Joyce.  This is a wonderful story, of which a great deal may still be written.

[AdultInnocence]

Enjoyed the last chapter. I like the long detailed chapters and the fact it is hard for me to predict what is coming.

[Mee]

Hey peeps! I apologize for the absence. It's no secret life does what life does best. I finished up the semester and swapped into full-time work and haven't had much time to write as of late, however I sometimes find little blocks to sneak some writing in. In addition to that, I've actually been working on a game! I'm very excited with how I'm improving in the art direction of things. There's a few reasons for my delay, but some can't be helped and others I think help me invest into my creative ability as a whole. Hoping to have a chapter of Sheltered around soon, my current one is almost done.

Just to give you an idea though, here are some animated headshots from some character models! I apologize if stories are primarily your thing and not games, but the progress I feel that I've been making has been awesome and I want to at least tease a tiny something. If you're interested at all in the development on the game side of things, you can find some of my updates here:
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/foxtalestimes/wip-resource-thoughts-t1029.html

Primarily it's sprite/character art at the moment, however there is a tidbit of a proof-of-concept for a bathroom function in the game. And if it wasn't clear, it will be an ABDL-themed game!

If games aren't your thing, I completely understand, and only ask that you continue to be patient with me. Sorry for the silence, but I try to update frequently on this dev side of things!

 

[Bel George]

On 6/30/2021 at 4:27 AM, Mee said:

Hoping to have a chapter of Sheltered around soon, my current one is almost done.

I am sooo looking forward to that next chapter.

I understand that your spare time is limited, and you have other projects besides this story.  It is such a good story, one of the best in my opinion. 

The only downside is the waiting for new chapters.  So I'm glad to hear there's a sequel to come.

[Mee]

34 - A Social Gathering

“Toothbrushes?”

“Got ‘em!” Emily handed them forward.

“Okay...Socks?”

It was a short trip over to the dresser and back. “Don’t we only need one pair each?” Emily asked as she handed them.

“No. Go get two, just in case.” Joyce said as she played the packing game like it was an emulation of Tetris.

“Uh-huh, uh-huh,” Emily nodded along as she went back and forth.

“Perfect.” Joyce responded with gratitude as she slipped them into each suitcase. “Okay, uhm...scalpel?”

Emily was already turning on her heel to begin the retrieval. “Wait...scalpel? Ugh...” Emily nearly threw a hand over her face once she realized too late that the trap had already been sprung. “Very funny, doctor...” She shoved Joyce, or well, tried to.

Joyce shook her head with a chuckle. “Gotta make it fun at least a little...” She sighed, reviewing the job done thus far. “This is a good amount. I think there’s a few more things I want to bring, but these should be the essentials.” Essentials, barring the makeup and toiletries that were packed separately.

“Okay.” Emily agreed. “What time are we going to the hotel?”

“Let’s leave in about an hour...” Joyce said as her gaze drifted to the time. “The actual event won’t be until later tonight, but it gives us a good amount of time to settle in.”

Emily nodded, though she started to wonder if she hadn’t seen Joyce packing the entire time. “Uhm...Joyce,” Emily looked over the bags, “Did you already pack our dresses?”

“Definitely not,” Joyce said without a moment’s delay. “It’s not really the kind of thing you’d want to fold over and stuff if you can. Besides, if I ever did that to a dress Amy made for me, I think she’d disown me...”

It always seemed that the rare danger Joyce seemed to be wary of was Emily’s idea of humor. “Oh yeah? What if she ever caught us packing the baby stuff?”

Suddenly the look on Joyce’s face was much more rosy, unexpected by Emily’s predictions.

“Oh? That stuff is fine to pack. With how hard I bet you can play, I think a little time in a suitcase is pretty minor?” She gave Emily a tender, motherly smile, in a way the girl hadn’t expected and left her with a light blush.

“Oh...Uhm, yeah, that makes sense...” With the wind out of her sails, Emily tried to dismiss it now.

“Did you wanna bring something?” Joyce gave her a telltale grin.

“No!” Emily didn’t need to think this time either. “I was just trying to get a rise out of you…!”

“Guess you failed~” Joyce stuck her tongue out, naturally turning the tables so easily. “That reminds me though!” She had a sudden moment of shock. “PJs!” She was already walking over to the dresser.

Emily sighed with a smile, finding it funny how Joyce could fret over the strangest things. Though, once she saw Joyce pulling out one of her sets, that answered the question a bit more. Whenever it was about Emily it seemed to hold the highest importance.

“So are we picking up the dresses on our way, then?” Emily asked once more.

“Mm?” Joyce looked at her like she was an afterthought. “No, they’re being sent to the hotel...” She looked back at the pajamas, deciding to put those back. “It might be too stuffy...” She murmured to herself as she put them back.

Joyce seemed to be preoccupied with a decision that held the weight of the world, in her mind at least, so Emily saw it as a moment where she might be better to phase out for at least a second.

“Be right back,” Emily announced as she left the room.

It’d been something she had been toying with reluctantly the past couple of days. As she entered the office she felt her heart getting tense all over again. She hadn’t forgotten her biggest mistake on day one, and her terrible guilt that she held after the fact.

For both chore days, since then she didn’t even touch the knob on the door to the office. By this point she feared it like a legitimate drug; an addiction. Yet after some time away and being scared straight, she felt a little bit better about using the computer now. It technically wasn’t the time for it, since her slotted window had been this morning, but Emily reasoned that a few minutes couldn’t hurt especially after staying clean for two whole days…

She sat down in the chair and wiggled the computer awake. Clicking on the internet browser icon as usual, she opened up the page, waiting for it to load, and--

Oops! This executable requires parental permissions to be used at this time. Please enter the password below:

Before the page could get beyond the initial white screen this odd warning message had popped up. Confused, Emily clicked the small button at the top to terminate it, expecting things to proceed normally. Yet, like a deadman’s switch it killed the internet browser as well. Odd. Emily re-opened the browser, but was surprised and a little annoyed to get the same message.

A small worry had her though, wondering if she’d given the computer a virus two days ago? She couldn’t have, could she? Joyce was in her office between then and now, so that couldn’t be it…

“Joyce?” Emily called. Emily didn’t consider herself a tech-wiz by any stretch of the means, only aware of the basics, and Joyce as well, but maybe she could fix this…?

A few seconds later and Joyce popped her head in. “What’s up?”

“This internet isn’t working...” Emily said worriedly as she clicked and clicked, showing Joyce the screen. “It’s not a virus, is it?”

“Hm?” Joyce stared at it for a second before realizing. “Oh!” She laughed a little. “No, that’s not a virus. Just something I had put on both computers.”

“Both? What do you mean?” Emily asked, glancing down at the other tower. She hadn’t thought to try the other…

“Since you didn’t notice until now, I guess that really means you did keep away from the office all this time?” Joyce gave her an impressed, proud look. “This is some insurance to yourself to keep you from going on when you aren’t supposed to.”

“Hu...huh?” Emily asked again, still not quite getting it.

Joyce saw that it wasn’t quite getting through and that this might turn into something slightly delicate. “Well...Emily, after what happened the first time and how beat up you were about it, I figured this would be like a last resort in case you tried using the computer when you aren’t supposed to?”

“But that’s...” Emily started to say. She never expected Joyce to move forward with this on her own. It was Joyce’s computer, but...wasn’t it also Emily’s too? That sounded selfish to say even in her head. “I don’t need a lock on my screen time...”

“Of course you don’t,” Joyce agreed, stepping in for Emily to slide the chair back. Joyce leaned over the keyboard and coincidentally blocked the screen as she typed in a way that Emily couldn’t see the password herself. And like magic the internet browser was back and working as intended.

“Can’t we turn it off?” Emily asked. “Or just give me the password?”

“I love you, Emily,” Joyce said resolutely, “but no, and no. You can job hunt, but it’s in moderation. Since you spilled over a bit last time, I wanted to try some ways that might help with that.”

Emily stayed quiet. Amidst all the cuddles, baby clothes, diapers and subsequent use that came with it, this truly felt like she was being treated like a kid. Not in the ways that Emily consensually agreed to and engaged in with Joyce, which is why the effect felt so profound. This had been a one-sided decision made for her that affected her freedoms. “...But, it won’t happen again?”

“I trust you and I believe you, Emily,” Joyce smiled as she gave her a kiss. “But I don’t want you beating yourself up again if something did happen. Listen, you won’t even notice it if we just stick to our agreement? I have it set up so it won’t turn on during the time of the day you’re allowed to. Outside of that, all you need to do is ask me? Though, I hope you’d be browsing mostly for fun.”

Emily sighed. There was some truth to it, but what rubbed her slightly the wrong way was the means of execution. Maybe it was the explicit use of parental controls that’d be used on a genuine kid that bothered her.

But, Emily swallowed the bitter pill and tried to be the bigger person. “Okay...then in that case, can I check my emails?”

“Of course,” Joyce answered without a second thought. “I’m gonna throw us together a snack soon, okay? The drive up to the hotel might take a little with traffic.”

“Kay, thanks,” Emily said as Joyce left the room. As Emily went back to her usual computer routine, while she felt a gentle leash on herself now, she did ponder things a bit more that didn’t make it seem completely oppressive…

Joyce wasn’t keeping her from the internet or access to the outside world. She clearly still had her own phone for that if she needed anything; it was just a computer that she liked to use for business and job related stuff. With that in mind, limiting her time on a specific point of access didn’t really get in the way of most things unless Emily wanted it to. And not only that, but Joyce did sound lenient on the whole thing? Lenient within the idea of keeping the parental locks, though…

And as she combed through her inbox, unintentionally the fuzzy corners of her mind started to fantasize a little too much.

Guess having my screen time limited really makes me look like her little girl, huh…?

Emily had a small grin with a blush, thinking in her mind. Holding something hostage from someone...was it normal to get excited over something like that?

“Emily!” Joyce interrupted her devious thoughts with a call from a nearby place. “Come on! Computer time’s over, let’s eat this snack before it’s time to go!”

“What?” Emily called back with confusion. Had it really been that long already? She glanced at the clock, once more dreading her inability to track the time.

“Off the computer! Now, please!” Joyce shouted again, prompt and firm, like an authority figure would be.

Emily did comply without a fuss this time as she shut it down.

“It has bananas…!” A coaxing voice called once more. Emily was already on the move, though maybe a keen eye could have discerned that she did move a tiny bit faster at the mention of her trigger word…

---

As they turned into the drive, a circular road attached to the main entrance of the hotel, Emily felt a little intoxicated by the magnitude and grandiose atmosphere from the front steps alone.

“Are you pressing your face into the glass?” Joyce chuckled with a side glance at her. Obviously something like this was new to her.

“Yesh!” Emily sputtered as she pressed her face against the window, just to find that even then she couldn’t see the top of the building and where it ended. The hotel looked like something you’d find a bunch of snobby yuppies lounging about in, which potentially could be true even in this reality, but the comparison stood. “Are we really staying here?”

“No,” Joyce smiled with sarcasm, “I just needed to make a U-turn back the other way.”

Emily, still staring out the window made a perplexing gesture, which was to aimlessly flail an outstretched hand back at Joyce, maybe meant to be a shove for teasing her?

But being a weak-willed opponent and no match for Joyce’s deftness, she exploited one of her many openings by slipping her fingers between Emily’s.

“Glad you came with me, you know?”

“Sorry in advance once I make you look bad...” Emily did say with some trepidation.

“Oh stop it,” Joyce said, and as they were in a short line of cars, she did have the visual freedom to land a playful shoulder squeeze on Emily. “It’s not going to be as scary as you think…” She tried to reassure her worrisome other half.

Emily was still too starstruck to fully notice the car pulling forward, aligning her passenger window with the entrance of the hotel. It took a second then to realize that a cascade of red with arrayed buttons standing right in front of the passenger window was not the hotel, but the uniform of an employee.

She pulled back with a blush as Joyce had been amusingly waiting for the realization, finally rolling down her window.

“Good afternoon,” The employee had leaned over to fit his face into view. If he had seen Emily making herself look like a complete fanatic, he was doing a good job of not showing it. “Are there any bags you’d like for us to unload for you?”

Emily couldn’t find the words as she started turning over to Joyce like she was the adult in charge. But just as she looked back Joyce said, “Yes, that’d be great! Is there someone who can take the car?”

“Of course, miss,” the employee nodded as he stood upright and signaled another employee who was meandering by the entrance. After hustling over they disappeared behind the car.

“Did we need them to carry it for us?” Emily asked, feeling a little weird. Hotels weren’t a foreign concept to her, but thinking in the past, she’d never dealt with staff this accommodating…

Joyce seemed to catch on to this as well while she did look slightly confused, but smartened up right away. Sliding into a coy smile, instead she said, “Well, maybe with two sets of hands we could, but I need to hold your hand to keep you from getting lost, remember?”

Emily rolled her eyes. “Would you ever do this to the staff?”

“Obviously not,” Joyce laughed. “I’ll let you in on a little secret, Emily,” she grinned, “you’re special to me!”

Emily had to turn her gaze because she couldn’t stop the oncoming smile, watching as their familiar-looking bags walked into the hotel.

“Okay, silly, our turn to get out,” Joyce announced with the audible unlock of the doors.

Warm, orange lights dyed parts of the gushing water fountain. Men and women in suits, dresses, and all kinds of high-end wear flowed into the building. She couldn’t help but find them all seeming so...distant. Like worlds apart. Socioeconomic worlds apart. Emily had all the pieces on paper to know that this was the kind of world that Joyce lived in, yet a literal taste of it was finally being experienced. She was nearly ready to sit back into the car from overexposure right up until Joyce stepped out herself.

“Thank you very much,” Joyce smiled as she deposited a set of keys into a staff’s hand, along with a neatly folded green bill. Emily couldn’t have been positive, yet it seemed as if it was a two-digit number and started with a five…

She was still as mute and motionless up until Joyce grabbed her hand.

“You’re not sick, are you?” Joyce began to show concern.

“What…?” Emily refocused on her. “No...just...feeling out of place.”

Along with a warm smile, Emily could feel Joyce’s thumb gently massage circles into her palm.

“Fishie out of water, huh? I absolutely promise you, you’ll be fine.” Joyce said as they walked together up the steps. Beyond the glass windows and doors it led into a massive lobby, championing a ceiling that selfishly ate away either the two or three floors that could have been there instead.

A grand, intricate chandelier hung from above, looking to span by an enormous width yet aligned with hundreds upon hundreds of illuminated pieces of foggy crystal as small as a finger a piece. Simple cream tiles decorated the floor, yet Emily couldn’t help but feel that within its simplicity was its appeal and massive expense. Even the massive plants propped in the corners or as centerpieces looked like they’d turn down the carbon dioxide exhaled from a mere commoner. Patrons occupying the lobby, which was a decent amount, were more of the same kind of people they saw from the car.

Joyce was already sighing as they got closer to the desk, or as close as they could with the few guests ahead of them.

“Another reason why I hate these overnight things...” Joyce whispered to Emily with a grin.

Emily forced a smile, yet there was still an uncomfortable chill lingering in the atmosphere.

“Do you wanna go sit down while I take care of this?” Joyce asked.

“Uhm...” Emily pivoted a foot on its toe as she squeezed Joyce’s hand a little tighter. “I...I don’t mind staying with you…?” It reminded her of the times as a kid when she’d be too nervous to go about exploring a new place on her own. She wanted her comfort objects and she currently had one right in her hand.

“Kay then,” a calm reply came. There was no pushback, yet complete understanding.

At a time of extreme uncomfortability, partly induced by Emily’s own mind, what also flooded her thought space was self-conscious, worried thoughts about how close to Joyce she was being. Was she being too affectionate? Her eyes darted from side to side. Were they fully committed to showing themselves off as a pair?

“What’s got you so wiggly?” A whisper entered Emily’s ear. The finger’s Emily’s were intertwined with suddenly re-buckled and trapped hers in place. It came with a friendly smile, one that was willing to dissect beyond the broad stroke Joyce already was aware of.

“Is...” Emily whispered back, though leaning in a bit closer just to bolster a sense of privacy, “is it really okay for us to act like...you know…?”

Joyce’s reaction was unexpected as her eyebrows rose high and the corners to her mouth fell slightly low. Her pupils ran in a small circle before she slightly leaned her head back then dove in with a swiftness for Emily’s face.

“Mmmmm…!” Lips locked with lips as Emily wide-eyed only pulled away with the loud finish from Joyce, “-wah!”

Immediately Emily looked around to see if anyone had noticed. A few people had indeed stared, and some others didn’t… What was Joyce doing? How could she be so bold?!

“Does that answer your question?” Joyce gave her a cocky grin, yet melted into a sympathetic smile. “I told you, didn’t I? This is something we don’t have to hide.” Then she blinked, only realizing something as an unfortunate afterthought. “W-wait...you’re okay with this, right? I can kiss you in public, right…?”

Her lips had been folded in on each other as she pulled away, but finally, a small giggle escaped Emily as her attention and focus had been stolen so easily and reset to a status quo. Somehow, her mind felt a little less foggy and had less on its plate. A lot less seemed to matter in the face of total upset.

An answer for Joyce was by having Emily’s arm stick even closer to hers, nestling itself closer to Joyce’s side as did her arm to Emily’s.

“Sorry...” Emily muttered, hoping that the one word could communicate enough on its own.

“Don’t be.” Joyce affirmed, looking on ahead.

A little bit after Emily had been settled down, it was finally their turn at the front desk.

“Good afternoon, I’m sorry for the long wait,” the staff member apologized with seeming sincerity.

“It’s no problem, really,” Joyce waved it off with a standard expression. “We have a booked room? Under Joyce Summers?”

“Yes, of course,” they nodded, letting their eyes drift to the screen that was below and shrouded from the patron’s field of view.

“Not that I doubt it’s you...” they apologetically laughed a little.

“Here you go,” she already handed them the I.D.

After a quick confirmation and a piece of paper was signed, Joyce asked them, “As for our bags, do you think someone could bring those up for us?”

“Certainly.” They responded without hesitation. “Here’s your room key,” the staff handed Joyce a plastic card, then they glanced at Emily before going back to the woman in charge. “Would you like a second one?”

“No thank you!” It came as a chipper reply, as if the speaker had been delighted to be asked such a thing.

Emily did give Joyce a slightly odd stare, but Joyce was already walking them from the desk.

“Shouldn’t I have one too?” Emily asked in a low voice.

“Plan on doing some sightseeing on your own?” Joyce innocently asked, yet of course it was sarcasm. “You can have one if you want, but I figured this’d drive home the whole ‘leash’ thing?”

“Oh...” Emily said at a slight loss, clearly forgetting their way-back-when discussion. “That’s fine then.” Not only avoiding making waves, but committing herself to her chaperone also sounded nice too. “What about our bags…?” Emily started to ask as she was led away by the hand.

“They’ll get there. The staff use a different elevator, so we’ll probably get there before them.” Joyce explained. “Does it feel weird?” She chuckled.

“Yeah...” Emily sheepishly admitted as Joyce called the elevator. “You aren’t worried about them stealing our stuff or anything?”

Joyce laughed with a tone erring on nervousness. “Well if you say something like that, of course I’ll get worried! But no, not too much. Almost everything we brought is replaceable.” Emily felt her hand give a soft squeeze. “Almost everything.” 

“Joyce Summers?” A woman called just as the elevator doors dinged and parted open. Both girls turned their heads. “Oh! It is you!” A head of long, blond hair made its way over, glistening in their sea green dress and sparkling pearl necklace. Emily could practically see her own reflection in the white of their unnaturally perfect teeth that peeked through her bright redly dressed lips.

“Caroline,” Joyce smiled back, yet Emily, the silent onlooker, could discern between one of her genuine expressions and a mechanical one… She was an absolute machine. “It’s great to see you! How have you been?”

The woman made a cackle as she waved her white-gloved hand. “Oh, you know, travel and whatnot...scouting properties…!”

“Expanding the business?” Joyce prodded, putting no more energy into her interaction than she had to.

“Hm?” She seemed confused for a moment, then had a eureka. “Oh! Business? No, no!” She laughed. “I have a birthday coming up soon and my husband promised me we’d finally start looking into a third vacation home!” She made a small, womanly squeal that to Emily, seemed...off-putting from this particular adult. “Have you been to Italy or France, recently? Ugh...decisions…!”

“That does sound difficult,” Joyce acknowledged with a nod, “I hope that works out for you and your husband.”

“Thank you so much!” Caroline looked sort of sincere, albeit to Emily everything about the exchange felt forced, or at least one party was trying to placate the other. But then, it was only a matter of time until her eyes fell upon Emily. “Oh? Did you bring your assistant for tonight?” She looked back at Joyce after a brief glance at Emily. “I didn’t think to bring mine...”

“No, I didn’t.” Joyce replied with a tinge of curtness, yet so small it went unnoticed by a woman blinded by dollar signs and glitter. Maybe it became a matter of pride, but in some way Emily being seen as anything but her absolute treasure seemed to irk her oddly; like a doctor’s greatest title and achievement being ignored. Emily made a small noise of surprise as an arm came from behind her back and around her waist. “I brought my girlfriend.”

There seemed to be a look of genuine surprise on Caroline’s face, indicating she hadn’t pegged Joyce for the type. And as Emily was used as a display item, she remained exactly that with sealed lips despite the reddened cheeks. Joyce didn’t look smug or particularly angry, yet the slight crease on her forehead showed that she was determined to make a point. One to Caroline, and one to herself.

“...Oh.” Caroline said only that. Her social balance had been thrown as the situation became awkward. While Emily’s inner part feared the idea of somehow rejection or ridicule, it obviously didn’t seem that way with the woman. She was just surprised. Only that. Had Joyce never shown any signs in the working world?

Finally, a fourth player entered the match as it dinged with opening doors.

“Well, that’s us~” Joyce continued to steal the rhythm of the conversation as she escorted Emily along by the waist. “See you at the dinner tonight!” After punching in the number, the doors closed.

“Haa...” Joyce exhaled aloud, giving Emily a toothy smile. “That felt good, didn’t it?”

In return she earned a dumbfounded, confused smile. “Hu...huh?”

“You and I?” Joyce made eye contact with a silly grin. “We’re dating?”

Emily found the look infectious, but was still confused. “Uh...huh?”

But apparently it was enough for Joyce, as she let out her own squeal, although Emily found it to be like music this time. “It just...it really makes me excited getting to tell people that...” She laughed happily.

“You sound like a schoolgirl,” Emily laughed herself, “It’s like this is your first relationship?”

“...Well...it sort of is...” Joyce suddenly mentioned, which caught Emily by surprise.

“Wait, what? Really?” Emily had a double-take. While there was Jack, there were some other smaller bouts, yet all the same that meant she finally had something over Joyce?

“Not completely,” Joyce said in a chastising tone, wiping the beginnings of a haughty look off Emily’s face. “This is your first relationship with a woman too, you know?”

Emily looked a bit more sheepish with an embarrassed chuckle. “...Good point.”

“And what I mean is that it’s my first relationship that...you know, has gone as far as this one has.”

Now that their minds were on the same wavelength, Emily could be in agreement. “So...you like getting to tell people that you have a girlfriend that you get to baby?”

“Just the first part,” Joyce corrected readily, “but the other half is what makes me so excited… It’s like...if you and your friends each had a pool, and you all said that yours was cool, but deep down, no matter what, you just know that yours is the coolest?”

“Uhm...” Emily laughed. “I think I get it? I guess I didn’t think of it that way… You’re my girlfriend, but there’s a lot more to it?”
“So much more.” Joyce smiled. “You’re a one-in-a-bajillion, Emily. I love you so-so-so much!”

Emily mumbled a response through the hug, but finally the elevator doors opened.

“Fancy...” Emily quietly noted as they walked down the tiled hall. It sort of reminded her of the hallway they had leading into the apartment, but a bit more dolled up. But right then, Emily found it craziest of all to think that she could even compare this kind of hotel to her everyday now. “Not a lot of rooms on this floor?” She also commented, noticing the lack of doors.

Joyce giggled as she kept Emily at pace with a hand behind her back. “You’ll see.”

They stopped in front of a door and Joyce slipped in the key, opening up to the room.

Emily was confused.

They entered the room, or entrance area, paired with a small cabinet meant for shoes. Then, the area expanded into a much larger one. Tall, glass windows stretching from floor to arches just beneath the high, high ceiling, of which a chandelier was suspended from.

A terribly long sofa spanned what seemed like a meager amount of the living space and wrapped around a large coffee table, set before a mini movie-screen. And to the left there was...even an area that looked like a small kitchen? A sink, counterspace, a fridge…

“Wh...where’s the bed?” Emily laughed nervously. Clearly the stimulus and realization was putting her into shock.

“In the next room,” Joyce laughed at the secondhand spectacle, continuing to guide her. Next over was the bedroom, a fully fledged one. But it couldn’t be right. This. This was what the hotel room was. A decently sized room with a bed, desk, nightstands and large tv. This is what Emily recognized as their room, clearly nice because it was such an expensive hotel. So in that case...She spun her head around from where they came, as if it were all some fever dream that couldn’t be distinguished from reality. What the hell was all that before? Some kind of communal space for everyone else on the floor?

“Is...is all that stuff part of this room?”

“It is a suite?” Joyce smirked.

“But we’re just staying one night?” It was too surreal. Forget a suite; Emily couldn’t think of a time she’d ever been in anything more than a 2-star hotel, if that.

“Not that we couldn’t afford it,” Joyce nonchalantly shrugged, “but the room is on another person’s dime? I might have gone a little smaller if I knew it’d do this to you…” Joyce chuckled as she ran her hand through Emily’s hair.

There was a distant knocking noise.

Joyce turned her head first. “Oh, they might be here with our stuff...” She already left the room with a stunned Emily slow from behind.

Sure enough it was, although there seemed to be some additions with their luggage. Staff came inside holding vertical spreads of dress wrapped in foggy plastic along with what could only be shoe boxes.

Joyce guided and instructed, whilst Emily remained a fish out of water standing off to the side as she silently watched them unload. Quiet and trying not to be a nuisance, she watched from over the couch as the staff brought everything in. They were deft and orderly, seeming to be gone faster than in the time it took them to come. Joyce ended their aid with more ample tips to send them along their way.

“Now we have everything.” Joyce declared after she closed the door. “Are you sure you’re fine? I know this might feel like a lot right now… Just tell me if this is moving too fast for you.”

“It isn’t...” Emily laughed apologetically. “I’m sort of just still trying to digest everything. I feel like this is the kind of stuff you only see in movies...” That was essentially the dilemma; feeling as if she truly was in a movie. Her first meeting with Joyce and her home was a lot in itself, but there was her down to earth personality, the home-cooked meals, chit-chat and romance that grounded everything Emily once revered to such a point that she needed to turn away. Yet tonight seemed to reset that level of comfortability that she had and left her in a place she found so unreal and to be so undeserving of, it couldn’t possibly be real.

“It’s not a movie, I can promise you.” Joyce chuckled as she came closer, occupying Emily’s vision. “If you ever feel like it’s too much tonight, just let me know. We’ll head right back here. And even then if that’s not enough, I’ll drive us right home.”

“Stop it...” Emily sounded appreciative, but she knew that wasn’t realistic. Obviously Joyce was here for the sake of her career. She couldn’t afford to make Joyce be selfish.

“So, are you going to tell me if we need to leave, or should I make the judgement call myself?” Joyce gave her a stern, yet loving look.

Emily raised her hands and dropped them on Joyce’s shoulders with a smirkish sigh. “I promise I’ll let you know… But I’m fine, really. Getting to see you is enough...”

“I’ll keep that in mind tonight,” Joyce smiled and followed up with a kiss, “you can be an attention hog all you want, okay?”

“Yah-huh.” Emily nodded as she stepped back with a small breath, feeling a bit better.

“Why don’t you come watch me while I unpack?”

Emily gave her a weird look. “I can unpack, too?”

“But you do so much already now?” Joyce said in an earnest, disappointed voice.

“Joyce...” Emily came off as a bit deadpan. “I make our bed, vacuum and get clothes ready to go in the washing machine...I don’t do that much...”

Joyce looked a bit troubled, but she gave up fast. “No...you’re right. Okay, we’ll unpack as a team.”

“Don’t make it sound like I’m pulling teeth!” Emily whined as she pushed Joyce with both hands, headed back to the bedroom.

Joyce hoisted their luggage onto the massive bed and they got to work. Yet an unexpected surprise was sitting in Emily’s bag once she opened it.

“Pip?” Emily’s instinctive reaction was to say its name, as if it were an actual person who could respond with just as much intrigue.

“I told you, almost everything we packed is replaceable? Not Pip, though.” Joyce gave her a beaming smile like her smart planning had paid off.

“You didn’t have to pack him...” Emily said with a tone that wavered on convincing. She gave him a brief squeeze as if to test by his squishiness if it were the original. And it was, meaning with the test concluded Emily flung him forward and to the other side of the bed.

“We bring Pip all the way with us and you just throw him?” Joyce teased.

Emily shrugged with a coy smile. “I dunno. But you can’t tell me how to treat my stuffed animals?”

“You’re right, I concede...” Joyce gave up with her own grin.

Emily would argue even now that Joyce overpacked for their one-night stay, given by the decent volume of things they removed from their suitcases.

“Doesn’t it make more sense to just leave all our stuff in the suitcases?” Emily asked, truthfully finding it to be unnecessary. “We’re just gonna have to re-pack it all in the morning...”

“So you volunteered to help but now you want to weasel out of it?” Joyce laughed.

“I never said I wanted to stop; but we aren’t even gonna be here for a full 24 hours?”

Joyce was bringing a few bundles of clothes over to the dresser. “That’s true, but you’d be surprised how just unpacking can make a hotel room feel a bit more like home?” And not to mention comfort objects as well, hence why Joyce couldn’t imagine a single trip that involved Emily now without bringing Pip. And the way Joyce saw it as well, she had coaxed and begged Emily into coming to this tonight. She owed it to her to make this a fun and comfortable night.

“Does it?” Emily snickered with a small bit of disbelief. “Maybe it does, guess I’ve never been in a hotel long enough to unpack though.” She finished her complaints as she put away two shirts she’d likely never wear while they were here.

“Well if you don’t, I will.” Joyce playfully turned her nose up as she moved her last few bundles over. “Could you please get me something from the fridge? I haven’t had anything to drink in a bit.”

“Kay,” Emily hopped off the bed and started walking, but stopped for just a second. “Wait, would the fridge even be stocked?”

“Usually all fridges are?” Joyce questioned back. “You’ve never been to one that is?”

“Maybe mini-fridges...” Emily recollected on the tiny cubes she was aware of, but not the home-grade size that this spacious suite had.

“I’m sure it has snacks too, so pick out some good ones.” Joyce added. “One each for us, got it?” She called as Emily was already gone.

Finally something clicked for Emily in this high-end hotel. The expensive suite, massive rooms and presence of rich folk were entirely beyond and above her. Living the high-life only seemed to reach her when it was a step-up from her usual, not a leap and a hop. Thus, getting to raid the hotel fridge without caring about the price was what spoke to Emily. This is how she knew she’d made it.

Lined with water, sparkling ciders, a few alcohols and juices, everything looked absolutely amazing. What’s more, there was no piece of cardboard waiting inside as a “courtesy” to let you know that you were about to be gouged by overpriced drinks. Was it all free? Did it come with the suite? Small questions lined with just as small prices to read as insignificant.

It was silly, yet somehow this meant the most to her because it was the easiest luxury to understand and appreciate. In her much smaller world of finance, this was a tangible prestige.

Out came a bottle of water and juice, followed by some kind of cracker and protein bar.

“Think fast!” Emily shouted as she lobbed the protein bar.

Joyce caught it unfazed, yet nearly missed the following crackers, then yelped as she defenselessly let the water bottle fall in her lap, then...just about screamed once an entire Emily came last.

“You’re gonna crush the snacks!” Joyce laughed as she wrenched the cold water bottle from underneath her bundle, gingerly laying it on the nape of Emily’s neck.

“S-stop! Stop!” Emily cried as she wriggled forward and free.

“Is this how you’re gonna be all night, huh?” Joyce grinned as her fingers wobbled and waved, closing in on the girl like voracious tendrils.

“No! Please!” She laughed with wet eyes as Joyce’s talons sunk into her sides, dancing to and fro as they lightly brushed underneath her shirt and atop her skin. She was coaxed into an infectious wail of giggle, but just as it came so did it stop, or was muffled by a hand over her mouth.

Joyce was trying to choke down a laugh of her own, still with a helpless smirk as she held her hand over Emily’s mouth. Thankfully the tickling stopped, and Joyce finally released her a second later.

“Sorry, I forgot we can’t make as much noise in the hotel...” Joyce sheepishly chuckled.

Only then did it click for Emily that they had to be a little more conscious of themselves.Home and however it was designed afforded them the privacy for their sounds, never seeming to have much of an issue. Here it was different. There was yet to be anyone with scornful expressions or neighbors beneath them to complain, yet it didn’t take a person to make Emily feel embarrassed.

“S-sorry...” Emily did apologize with remorse, even if it was arguably Joyce’s fault.

“Don’t be,” Joyce giggled as she stroked her hair. “I like when you’re playful. I should have remembered that we can’t be super noisy earlier.”

“Don’t make up excuses for me...” Emily pouted. “I should’ve known too...”

And almost immediately Joyce accepted the momentum of her unneeded apology and flipped the script completely. “You’re right,” she frowned, “you should have. I can’t believe you didn’t know any better!”

Emily was too well-versed by this point, or at least had the mental strength this time to see it coming and know that it was another act to talk her out of her own self-conscious thoughts. With the roll of her eyes and crinkling plastic packaging from their snack, they enjoyed their remaining downtime with wonderful bliss.

---

“You promise you won’t leave me?” Emily asked for the umpteenth time as she leaned from foot to foot in her very short heels.

“I promise, I won’t.” Joyce repeated as she had for every other time she’d asked, although with just as much patience in her voice as there’d been since the start. She stood much more confidently in her slightly taller heels. “We’ll find something banana-flavored once we get up there. I’m sure there’s lots of food being put out already.” She said soothingly

“Don’t say that...” Emily whined. “You make it sound like I need one to calm down...”

“Need what?” Joyce gave her a clueless look.

“A paci--!” Emily started to respond, but the smile from Joyce spoke volumes. “Ha-ha...funny.”

“Sorry, I did want to hear you say it...” She sounded apologetic, but it was still fun to hear. “Guess we’re a bit more on the same page, huh?”

“Guess so...” Emily found it even hard to joke as her murmurs drifted toward one of the elevator walls. “How many people are gonna be here?”

“More than a couple...” Joyce gave her a sympathetic smile as she circulated her thumb across the girl’s palm. “We’re gonna have to do a little socializing at the start. Don’t overthink things, alright? Just be yourself?”

“If I was myself, they’d probably think I don’t belong here...” Emily spoke with a seed of pessimism as she dreaded the coming moment more and more.

“Don’t say that...” Joyce started to chastise, but the elevator had reached their destination.

Almost immediately their small, silent space had been assimilated into the distant yet growing chatter of voices and orchestral music. Emily wasn’t shy of crowds, per say, only the ones composed of an entire socioeconomic class she’d hear about in the news rather than see face to face. Yet that came as a stretch when Emily was sharing too much of her forward vision with the floor.

“We gotta get off the elevator now, okay?” Joyce spoke gently, yet somehow her voice traveled so clearly through the noise.

“Mhm...” Emily nodded, no less anxious as she squeezed her partner’s hand a little tighter. 

Their feet moved across the checkered tile floor, cleanly polished and shined, laced with just enough fog to obscure the reflection. A staff member in a clean red vest with a tablet in hand quickly and deftly seemed to admit guest after guest past the triple array of wooden glass doors.

“W-wait, what if I’m not on the list?” Emily tugged on Joyce’s hand with irrational worry.

“You’re my plus one; you don’t need to be,” Joyce hushed her as they drew closer and closer.

Beyond the entrance Emily could see pockets of empty space ahead, surrounded by many heads in suits and dresses. Beyond that were tall arching windows that exposed the night sky. Not a star could be seen though, drowned out by the flood of light from the city which they were in. Even when so high up they couldn’t seem to escape the clutches of industrial capitalism. But of course, there was irony attending a party that hosted the many hearts of it.

“Joyce Summers?” Joyce’s voice startled Emily out of her distant observations. She looked confusedly at her girlfriend, only realizing with warm cheeks that she was giving her name out to the staff member.

“...Yes,” he finally said with a smile. “Right here. Have a great night.” He gave both Joyce and Emily a polite smile as Joyce led her into the spacious dance hall. Spacious supposedly, as so much of it had already gone to the endless party-goers.

Amidst the crowds there were staff calmly patrolling the party, all with some kind of platter in hand, either dressed in filled glasses, interesting hors d'oeuvres, or empty leftovers from the many guests. Yet what was the entire mass this network of employees navigated through were the guests themselves. Many looked to be sitting at tables, yet just as many also stood about, drinks in hand, conversing amongst cliques of social elites.

Naturally, Emily didn’t want to go any further, yet Joyce submerged them without hesitation, caring not to even dip a toe just to see how the water felt .

“Doesn’t something sweet sound great right about now?” Joyce chatted with her as they moved wherever she intended them to go.

Emily helplessly shrugged, albeit appreciative for the words regardless. Just from standing next to so many people it was like they’d sucked the social lifeforce out of her already. But just to hear Joyce, it reminded her that she was still alive and breathing.

“Joyce Summers!” A sudden voice stopped them in their tracks; a man had stepped in front of their path, whether by coincidence or something else. “How’ve you been?”

“Tom Fender,” Joyce put on her rehearsed smile as she tried to come off as cheery. “Great to see you, too. I’ve been well, and you?”

“Great as always,” his shiny whites came right back. Emily continued to stay quiet. Their use of full names felt odd despite their positive tones; possibly a custom amongst financial titans who readied to trade blows.

“Good to hear...” Her eyes started drifting on higher priorities. “Uhm, I hate to cut this off, but would you mind if we found each other in just a little bit? We got here so late...I hate to admit it, but if it meant I could eat, I was ready to buy out an entire restaurant on the way here!”

It didn’t even sound close to a joke to Emily, much rather an awkward statement with exclamation. Yet somehow the man in turn was chuckling nonetheless.

Ah. A joke that I’m too poor to understand.

“No, no, I get it completely,” he laughed. “The food here does all look very good. See you around!”

Joyce gave a small wave as the leash on Emily’s hand became taut once more.

“Who was that…?” Emily asked in a quiet voice.

“Hm?” Joyce sunk a little beneath the noise as her once again genuine smile occupied the girl’s entirety. “Sorry, it’s a little hard to hear you.”

“Who...” Emily hesitated and considered dropping the matter entirely, lest she wate all this time over an unimportant question. “Who was that?” She tried to speak up.

“Oh, him?” Her moment of visible interest was killed almost immediately. “Pharmaceuticals. I see him about maybe two to three times a year. Not much to tell, but he’s a stubborn guy, I’ve heard. You’re doing great, by the way!”

“We just got here, I haven’t done anything...” Emily said in a low voice once more as they continued reaching the other end of the hall. Finally, beyond all the people and through the crowd Emily could finally start to smell the food. Once they emerged, it was a long banquet table of fine silver platters and ornate dishes, mini fountains, tiered displays of never-ending varieties of interesting and delicious looking foods.

Finally, Emily had her own glimmer in her eyes.

“Wanna eat?” Joyce grinned at her.

“Is...can we take whatever we want?” She earnestly asked. Becoming a glutton wasn’t her intent, but she still wanted to sample so many different things…

“Yes, but let’s take it slow,” Joyce planned to indulge her from the start, but she worried too much coddling might lead to some kind of upset. After all, she didn’t want her going to bed with a tummy ache.

Again, despite all the lavish displays, the massive hall and no less the very establishment it was held in, what spoke to Emily the most were the much smaller, comprehensible details. Stacks of plates and silverware weren’t just at the very end of the banquet table! Multiple stations all along just to break up the traffic and keep everything moving. Maybe it was spurred by logistics and not a “rich people” sort of thing, but Emily was more than willing to fool herself with the fantasy regardless.

Joyce reached first for their plates. While she had her eyes on the larger dinner meal kind of plates, instead she disappointedly watched as two considerably smaller ones were plucked from the adjacent stack.

“It’s not a one-and-done kind of thing...” Joyce quietly reminded her, finding the subtle look on her face clear as day.

It wasn’t, which is why Emily was willing to compromise. Now came the much more important task of finding the right first dishes to sample. The saying of the world being your oyster couldn’t apply more than ever in that moment. If it had to be tweaked though, the world would be your dinner for the night.

Sandwiches, sushi, pastas, curries, soups, salads, desserts, chocolate fountains, fruits, flatbreads, things in trays, cuts of meat, and so many more things that Emily couldn’t put a name nor a memory to. It felt like she saw more things she couldn’t recognize than could.

Joyce made sure her steps were in sync with Emily’s. She always stayed right behind her, truly with a watchful eye like any honest mother would. 

“Joyce Summers!”

“Ms. Summers!”

“How is the company?”

“Let’s have dinner sometime?”

“Are you interested in some inside info?”

Yet as Joyce watched her adorable little girl become so lost in the simple pleasures she enjoyed best, her own face couldn’t go unnoticed by the countless others in attendance. Maybe some were being friendly, but business had taught her to recognize any kind of approach as a pretext to just that; business.

“Good to see you Howard.”

“Is your wife doing well, McKinley?”

“Figures are good; optimistic for the next quarter.”

“Reach out to my secretary, I’m sure we can figure something out.”

“It never hurts to listen?”

But unfortunately, the mama bear had lost her touch, if for just a moment. Turning her gaze back, she’d managed to let Emily get a few steps too many ahead of her, and would luck have it, a stranger stepped right in between them.

“E--” Before even the first syllable could leave her mouth, apparently the stranger wasn’t a complete stranger.

“Joyce, great to see you!” They were already trying to converse. They also hadn’t inherently done anything wrong, yet Joyce felt herself suppressing a pissy look. Instead, she allowed herself a tiny exhale through her nostrils as she smiled.

Just a quick conversation, Emily won’t be far...

Back in rose-tinted paradise, Emily found her own game of Tetris as she tried so desperately to find all the best pieces and simultaneously fit them in the tiny field she was given. Though, with how she dawdled and found herself so hung up on what wouldn’t be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but instead a many-in-an-hour kind, she was a little surprised she wasn’t getting an earful from Joyce behind her. But then again, Emily did have the sense to figure Joyce was likely easing her pace just a little, just so she could feel comfortable.

“What do you think looks good?” Emily asked Joyce who was presumably behind her. Turning her head as she said it though, it was like a deer caught in headlights when Joyce was nowhere to be seen. Instead, some other woman was beside her, minding her own business as she looked for food as well.

Yet Emily’s words were so directed that the stranger gave her a glance like it was meant for her.

“Uh-m, sorry, I thought someone I knew was...” Emily bashfully tried to explain, but her mind was already being overtaken by the absence of Joyce. Where did she go? She promised she’d stay with her the whole time, didn’t she? Already the modicum of comfort she was feeling from Joyce like a thin veil had been vaporized immediately.

Her brows creased as she hesitated with every step she took. Amidst a sea of people standing taller than her made the task of finding Joyce seem impossibly insurmountable. Was she supposed to stay put until she was found, or go search for her? As her stressed hands clutched the ceramic edges of her plate, instinctively the trouble inside her only swelled when she didn’t feel the squish of Pip, or anything with some give to accept her frustrations.

Every way she looked was either the back of a stranger or the face of an unknown.

Keep it together...she’s here somewhere…

Yet despite her rational mind she was raw and vulnerable, God forbid if one of these people tried to talk to her. She’d be a blubbering mess; they’d find out she didn’t belong. She was an outsider, an imposter. The only excuse she had to be here was Joyce, and without her she was nothing more than a benign tumor hogging the floorspace. 

She didn’t stare at the food anymore as she nervously followed the banquet table to the very end. Her steps were slow and almost wobbly. Coordination wasn’t necessary, not when she needed to brainpower to look out for Joyce. Getting lost shouldn’t mean anything, yet being alone in a sea of capitalist sharks seemed to shift that perspective. So much for having practice at the zoo.

The feeling in her chest only tightened once beyond the thinning crowd she found the tallest attendee at the party; a wall. What now? Emily was needless to say, at a loss for what she should do.

Wait, her phone!

That’s right!

Already she was pivoting on her heels, looking for a spot to set her plate of food down. She felt ridiculous now. It was just a matter of calling her… So much for feeling like an actual lost child.

She couldn’t see a good spot, other than the many tables that were already dotted with strangers. But as she looked, the desire to search quickly dried itself up. Emily’s memory was feeling keener by the moment. So keen, that she dutifully remembered as well that there was no phone to use. No phone on her person, anyway. Sitting right where she left it back at the hotel room.

Her face scrunched up a small bit as she remembered, thinking of how it wouldn’t be necessary to bring. Joyce would’ve had hers, after all…

She wanted to sit down, crouch even, just to give herself a grounded place to decompress. But she couldn’t do that, not here. Not at a five-star hotel, not in front of a bunch of prestigious people, and not in her special dress.

This sucked. It all sucked. She didn’t want to be here. She only came because Joyce wanted her to, so where did she go? Emily just wanted to go back to the hotel room. At least Pip was there.

But what sucked the most? Crying. Since she began her relationship with Joyce that’s what seemed to be the unexpected dark horse. They didn’t keep secrets from each other, so emotions no less couldn’t be hidden. Whenever she’d start to get herself in a mood, there Joyce was, tearing it all down just to come inside to make her feel better. It was great, obviously. But on the other hand, she was feeling slightly out of practice when it came to solidifying her emotions. Things were harder to bottle up, harder to compose. Taking rhythmic breaths and long inhales though, she was somehow managing.

You’re fine...you’re okay. Joyce will find you. Just stay put and it’ll be okay…

“Excuse me?”

Just keep breathing...you’re making a big deal out of nothing. Maybe snack a little on the food…

“Uhm...miss?”

Emily shivered like an electrical shock had hit her as her gaze fixated on the person right in front of her. For the sake of appearances she held back a frown. It wasn’t Joyce. And because it wasn’t, her nerves seemed to become all the more worse.

“Are you...alright?” He asked.

Emily’s eyes were all over the place, following around the navy blue threads of his suit jacket or through the stripes of his tie. Whenever her eyes seemed to be near the man’s though, she didn’t have the nerve to commit. 

What was she supposed to do?! She wasn’t ready for this, she couldn’t afford to speak with others here. If they find out she’s with Joyce after what a piss-poor person she’ll inevitably make herself out to be, it’s going to be at her benefactor’s expense!

Her breath wavered as she stumbled a response. “H-...Hi...”

By the warmth in her face, Emily had a sneaking suspicion what she may have looked like to others right then, and seeing only a wordless blink from the stranger seemed to suggest that.

“Are you okay…?” He asked once more as his head turned back to the rest of the party. Damn it. Of course she looked out of place.

Emily nodded her head, trying to look cheerful, as well as conversational. “Y-yes. I’m just waiting for someone...”

“Alright then...” He said, but didn’t leave. “I noticed you’ve been over here for a few minutes,” he made a motion with his finger behind his shoulder. “If you’d like, there’s a couple seats where my friend and I are? You’re more than welcome?”

A decision. Emily’s world truly was crumbling. She could refuse and remain to be the awkward wallflower for as long as Joyce was nowhere to be found. Not only that, but make it seem that she spit in this man’s face in exchange for continuing to be a fly on the wall. Yet if she accepted, there would be the monumental task of keeping conversation with these titans and assuredly outing herself as some generic, normal person. It was a lose-lose in Emily’s dramatic eyes, so it was merely the lesser of two evils.

“Is that okay?”

He chuckled before turning on his heel. “Of course it is! Come on; I’m guessing you want a place to eat, anyway?”

Great, now she looked like a glutton to others even at first glance. She wordlessly followed the man back into the crowd, sending a silent prayer that somehow Joyce will find her. This was nothing like the zoo. All the animals this time had no cages and there were no landmarks to find each other. They were in the jungle and Emily had already become prey.

She stayed close behind the man’s back as they weaved through the crowd. Out of habit she kept her head down, only following the back and feet in front of her before reaching a clearing, nearly bumping into her supposed savior once they came to a stop.

“You didn’t bring a bottle?” A woman said with a tinge of impatience. Was it coyness? Emily couldn’t tell, but Emily was so out of it that her head shot forward with a startle, forgetting social cues to realize that it wasn’t her that was being talked to.

“That’ll be your turn then,” he sighed as he set down a half-filled wine glass in front of her. “‘Bring me a drink’ is awfully vague, you know...”

“It would seem so.” She said back, seeming to imply that she still wasn’t at fault. It was his mistake for not reading any deeper.

Emily remained silent, stiff as a board, unaware of how to broach the situation or whether she still needed to be introduced. Did the upper class work the same way as kings and queens? Do not speak unless spoken to?

“Well, better than a bottle,” Emily felt a hand pat her half-naked shoulder. “Found someone to help me keep you entertained.”

“Oh?” The interest in her voice was clear, and so was her gaze, even if Emily was too nervous to look at it. “What’d you say to her? She looks like we’re about to eat her.”

“She seemed sort of nervous when I found her. Waiting on her friend.”

Emily could hear the low sigh from the woman’s breath. “Stop talking like she’s not her own person. Hon?”

Of all things, it had to be a pet name that garnered her attention. Out of reflex she did look ahead at the woman.

She was pretty. In Emily’s book Joyce was always number one, but this woman was a close second. Her ginger hair was tied back into some kind of intricate bun and the deep freckles on the bridge of her nose looked like the count of people she’s stared down into a submission match.

“I’m Rebecca, it’s nice to meet you,” she smiled in a way that felt like a test. She was gauging the poor girl. But for what?

“I-I’m Emily, it’s nice to meet you.” Her response was nearly robotic. She didn’t have the confidence to speak off the cuff. Not in a place like this. “I-I don’t want to bother you guys; I can always go back and--”

“Why?” Rebecca frowned, interrupting her so smoothly. “You’d rather be by yourself than sit with us?”

The sudden twist of her words incited a small panic. “N-no, it’s not that, it’s--”

“Ah, I see. You have better people to be with?”

“No, that’s not...” Normally Emily would be frustrated by the woman’s curt behavior, but somehow she was only looking distressed. Everytime she tried to find her footing through words, this person seemed to casually sweep her right off her feet.

“Rebecca,” the man found his timing much better when it came to interruptions. “Quit teasing her. Just because you hate these things doesn’t mean you have to lash out. Drink already.”

The woman seemed to be so animated in the most subtle ways. Emily watched her eyelids droop as her gaze slightly narrowed, as if agitated by the man’s gaul to even think of challenging her. Yet like it was all a game, her mood immediately vanished as she went back to being a resting predator, sipping from her glass. “Fair enough...” She looked away as she said it.

“Sorry,” he apologized to me, “Emily, was it? My name is Hank, nice to meet you.” He held out his hand for a shake, and Emily was so frazzled that she nearly went to shake with a plate of food still in both hands. Quickly realizing her mistake with a blush, she finally committed herself by setting the plate down on the table before shaking.

“Nice to meet you...”

“Did the host come by at all, yet?” Hank asked Rebecca who seemed to be boredly playing with her glass of wine.

“Not sure...” she sighed. “Walked around, chatted a little. I’m feeling ready to head back home, already.”

“Mm...” Even Hank nodded as he sipped from his own wine. “Well, appearances and all...” It must have been a mutual agreement, because Rebecca didn’t say anything back.

“Uhm...” Emily started to speak, yet her throat seemed to close entirely once both faces gave her attention. Great. She poked the bear and for some inexplicable reason expected it to stay sleeping. “Is it just you two sitting here…?” There were only a couple of empty chairs, but two to a single table was still a low number.

“Yep,” Hank nodded, though glanced at Rebecca who was with a pissy pout sort of look, already expecting the man to look at her. “Unfortunately we have a bit of a bully at our table, so we’re unpopular at the moment.”

“Oh shut it,” Rebecca frowned the smallest bit, yet all the expression seemed to happen from her eyes and up.

“Rebecca’s very...strong-willed, as you can see.” Hank whispered to me with a chuckle. The entire time Rebecca watched the exchange, knowing full well she was the topic.

Emily would never in a million years say it aloud, but being somewhat bitchy seemed to be this woman’s personality… Lucky to have the few that could stand her and be around her.

“So Emily, what brings you--” Hank started to say, but then…

“Why bother with a question that has an obvious answer?” Rebecca cut him off. “Ask her why her boyfriend or husband brought her here. She has ‘plus one’ written all over her.”

Plus one. The way Joyce had said it, Emily wouldn’t say she felt a charm, but it gave her some sort of fuzzy connection to Joyce in a small way. A fun little title.

From Rebecca’s voice, it was a label. An inescapable brand that defined her clearly on the hierarchy amongst nobles. She’d been curtly kicked off the pedestal and back to the ground. It was only more damaging to her self-confidence. Had she thought there was even a chance at looking like she belonged, Rebecca’s bluntness paired with Hank’s gentle approach had shattered it entirely.

Naturally, self-consciousness was the first thing to hit her bloodstream. 

“Is...is it that obvious?” Emily weakly asked Hank. He looked apologetic, but he didn’t disagree.

“Not that it matters, though,” he was quick to say. “So in that case, what does your boyfriend do?”

“Boy…?” Emily started to ask, feeling confused with the disillusioned mind that everyone in the world should already know she was smitten with a female, not a male. “Oh, uhm...my girlfriend, she has a medical company.” And there would be little to offer after that. It sucked knowing she couldn’t tell much about Joyce, not in the working sphere at least. Unfortunately Joyce had made it an effort to hide the bigger things from her, likely to prevent Emily from seeing her as anything but her sweet, motherly significant other.

“Oh!” Hank had a slight tinge of guilt with his voice. “Sorry, we just assumed...”

“Sorry about that.” Rebecca chimed in, possibly sounding genuine?

“What do you guys do?” Emily asked, finally finding the courage to keep the ball rolling.

“I manage a couple accounting firms,” Hank said ever so nonchalantly. “Nothing too crazy, but it has its perks.

And just when she thought they were starting to seem like people, she’d been so graciously reminded of the gap.

“I own a couple theatres.” Rebecca added to the conversation, just in case Emily wasn’t feeling dogpiled enough already. They weren’t being insulting (barring Rebecca’s attitude), but simply crushing her with facts.

But in spite of that, Emily wanted to be brave. At least Rebecca had something tangible.

“Oh?” She spoke up in turn, “That’s cool. How often do theaters swap out movies anyways? You probably get to see anything you want for fr--”

“No, no,” Rebecca always managed to find a way to spearhead Emily’s gusto. “Not that kind of theatre. Musical productions. Plays. That kind.”

“Oh...” Her reply was quiet, desperately trying to escape sheer embarrassment. Why couldn’t she have let her run away with sheer ignorance?

“You could have elaborated?” Hank jumped in, throwing Rebecca’s feet on the coals now. “Quit being such a bully.”

“I’m not being a bully.” Rebecca slightly averted her gaze at that.

Conversation had only become a trap for Emily to make herself look even more foolish. In a twisted way it was like trying to sit at the grown-ups table. All the jargon and conversation went so far above her head that she could be disillusioned into thinking it was actually reachable. She had no reality that knew how to properly set herself apart from these people.

Then came an audible sigh from the woman as she stood up from her seat.

“Leaving already?” Hank seemed to ask, yet Rebecca somehow saw it as teasing once she shot him a glare.

Storming off, Emily could only catch the sway of her dress as she disappeared.

“Sorry about that...” Emily always seemed to feel the irrational need to apologize. If she was involved in any capacity she somehow always found fault in herself.

“I’m sorry you had to deal with that,” Hank apologized in turn. “Rebecca’s supposed to be a grown woman, would you believe it. But in all the time that I’ve known her, well, she’s not exactly great at playing nice with others...”

“How long have you two known each other?” Accounting and theater management. By this point, Emily wasn’t even going to try and fool herself into thinking she could see the connection.

“Before the adult working world,” he sipped from his glass, “Our parents sent us to the same private school. Skybrooke?”

Emily nodded attentively, deeply invested with a catalog to reference the exact detail in mind.

Smile and nod. What the hell is Skybrooke?

“She has her...quirks, but she’s a nice person, deep down. But for her to me? I dunno. Maybe she finds me tolerable?” With the sign of a grin, Emily was at least glad to hear he probably wasn’t a doormat to that woman.

And quirks she did indeed have many.

“Here.” Were her first words of return. Outstretched from Rebecca’s hand to Emily was a wine glass, but not filled with wine. It was filled with a frozen treat, drizzled in a thin wisp of chocolate, capped with scalped strawberries accompanied by skinned and sliced banana.

As Emily found herself at a loss, the helpful cue was whispered in her ear next.

“Rebecca’s idea of an apology...” Hank helpfully said.

“...Take it or don’t,” Rebecca seemed composed, yet she seemed...uncomfortable? “I don’t care.”

A gift from a queen? Emily perplexingly stared at the treat. It did look good, yet everything about this exchange was weird. A grown adult was trying to make peace through the offering of a dessert.

Before the moment became too dragged out, Emily slowly accepted the glass.

It’d be considered quite rude to refuse the Queen’s gift, wouldn’t it?

Rebecca stood there for a moment longer, to the point where Emily started to think she wanted her to prove her sincerity by eating it right then. Thankfully that wasn’t the case though once Rebecca finally did take her seat once more.

With amends apparently having been made, Hank continued to mediate the flow of conversation as they slowly crept upon their original pace, which wasn’t much to begin with at all.

“...but in the end I guess it never really...” Hank was going on with his story about another financially unrelatable situation when his head started to follow something in the background.

“What?” Emily tried to follow where his eyes went as infectious curiosity mandated.

“...Nothing.” He shrugged. “Thought I recognized someone. If your girlfriend hasn’t told you already by the way, these dinner events are usually about the social aspect. Keeping everyone fresh in each other’s minds. A lot can be inside baseball, too.”

“She did sort of say something like that...” Emily tried to reflect, but not for long until Rebecca’s glossy nails rhythmically tapped the cloth tabletop.

“We use our words when we’re ready for another drink, you know...” Hank jokingly gave her the side-eye.

“What?” Rebecca seemed to snap out of her trance then glance at her empty glass. “Sure, yes. I’ll take another glass.”

“With a ‘please’?” He added a slight stretch to his voice just to prolong the teasing.

“Red. The same bottle as the last,” she seemed to shoo him off without another look.

And again, fate seemed to draw them together as Emily accidentally met Rebecca’s gaze from the other side of the table once more.

“Bring Emily some, too.” Rebecca ordered her friend?

“Same for you, Emily?” Hank paused to patiently ask her.

“Uh…?” The hesitation in her voice was obvious. She hadn’t planned on drinking; this sort of thing was far too stressful for that. But...it was a weird time to take stock of things, yet in that moment all it felt like was sitting around with two decent friends. Maybe it was Rebecca’s gross immaturity or her snobbiness that made it all feel so unreal. An unsociable, unintentional bully who went red in the face as soon as her feet touched the coals. Then again, if she ordered a drink for Emily, was she starting to become part of “the gang” now?

“Yes...please.” Screw it. Emily could fabricate a whole list of reasons for needing a drink right then.

“Such manners!” Hank pretended to praise, albeit not to tease Emily, especially evident by the coy smile he gave Rebecca who only seemed to return a look of ire.

“Be right back.” Hank was gone.

“Your girlfriend really must be quite the busy body to misplace you so easily,” Rebecca passively commented. “I don’t suppose we should turn you into the lost and found?” Finally she smiled for once in the entire night Emily had been with her...even if it was by way of teasing.

“Yeah, maybe...” Emily sighed, choosing to pass on the bait or instead regard it as unintentional mockery. But really, where was Joyce? The smallest amount of air started swelling in her mouth, favoring to push out her left cheek.

---

“Karla, I’m glad to hear that things are going well,” Joyce cheerily nodded. She’d given this person exactly one minute of her time. Plenty. Generous, even. She should be grovelling for the saint that Joyce was; allowing such important seconds to slip through her fingers into the mediocre unimportant hands of others. “But, say...” She began, glad to be finished with useless talks of investment and prospecting. Who cared about the first ever hover car or working jetpacks?  Did she think world hunger mattered more than Joyce’s own dilemma? “You wouldn’t happen to have seen a smaller girl around here, would you?” She maintained her bubbly inquisitive voice, internalizing all the annoyance and agitation every living obstacle seemed to be here.

“Smaller?” Karla smiled, awaiting further explanation.

“Black hair? Green eyes?” A bottom so round and so cute that it was a crime not to keep it padded? “She’s in a red dress?” Unfortunately not paired with a child leash. That’s the problem with jokes; they’re only jokes.

She shook her head, the conniving bitch, so eager to waste Joyce’s precious time. “Sorry, can’t say that I have…Why, find yourself someone you wanna goad into a venture?”

Karla started her laugh first, which Joyce did the same in unison, only she was already turning away, well-ready to punch the woman.

Where is she?! I take my eyes off her for a single minute…! 

A business dinner much like Hank said is a chance for socializing and business dealings and opportunities. A chance for the rich to stay rich and perpetuate the inevitable lining of each other's pockets. During any business dinner at any time in Joyce’s life, she would not have hesitated to agree. That’s what these things are. That’s what they’ve all been for.

But not tonight. Not this one. Instead, it’d become Joyce’s personal hell, having thrown her precious girl into a pit of lions that all have the audacity to feign ignorance as she tirelessly searches for which one ate her!

She was supposed to be holding her hand the entire time...Why didn’t she just hold Emily’s plate for her? Tell Emily to point out the things she wanted? Christ! Why couldn’t these stupid events have a chaperone or something, or maybe an on-site police officer? This dance hall has speakers, so why wasn’t she hearing the call for a lost chi-- adult?

What’s more, Joyce was acutely aware of Emily not having her phone. As much as Joyce was ready to shout aloud for Emily, even she had her own warped way of thinking that simultaneously felt the need to dote on Emily so heavily, yet maintain an outward appearance. Yes, it was twisted, and yes, Joyce was aware. As Joyce fought the raging battle inside herself, she could only assume that Emily was okay. What if she was crying? What if a stranger was talking to her? Wait, no, that’s normal at an event like this… But not for Emily! They’re all strangers!

Find her!

Find her!

“Joyce, is that you?” A voice called.

She spun on her heel with a trained smile.

“Leonard, so good to see you!”

---

A bubble rose in her chest with a fierceness, only for it to sputter out of her mouth as a sudden hiccup, throwing her entire torso forward.

Where was she? Emily was slumped forward as she barely supported her head, chin resting in both hands.

Rebecca herself still looked focused, yet her heavier blush likely spoke more of the alcohol in her system than any kind of embarrassment that could be found in the prideful lioness.

“Sheesh late...” Emily slurred grumpily with a pout. She was no timekeeper, yet she was certain that exactly too-much-time-o’clock was certainly a bad time to not have shown up by then. Emily had done her job. Stay put. What had Joyce done? Who knows, but clearly it wasn’t good enough.

“Just to let you know, I...” Rebecca seemed to lose her speech, finding the fuel needed with a final sip from her glass. “...I’m going to be charging for babysitting you so much tonight...”

“Shaddup...” Emily groaned, too far from sober to remember formalities, not that either two drunk women seemed to care. “I’ll pay Hank...” She muttered as her head finally dropped with her hands, nuzzling into her forearm. Apparently alcohol was no caffeine stimulant. Not even adult beverages could save her from her hard limits. Quite easily the festivities of the night had gone beyond a time she was comfortable being awake at.

“Alright...” Hank finished off his wine as he stood from his chair, commendably without a stumble of any sign. “Let’s go, you two. Before any of us are too intoxicated to get back to our rooms.”

“Screw you...” Rebecca suddenly blurted aloud with her eyes not even remotely aimed at Hank. Her eyes widened with surprise only known to the inner workings of her drunk mind as she shocked herself into a laughing fit.

“A-huh...” Hank waved off the words as they should have been, raising Rebecca from her seat with ease as he wrapped an arm around her waist. “You have your room key, right?”

“F-....ffffuck you...” She murmured in her own headspace yet again, laughing loud enough to get a few momentary stares.

“Really?” Hank still remained unimpressed. “I never get you to laugh, but all it takes is to be drunk and be the butt of your jokes...” He maneuvered his charge with him around the table. “Emily, can you get up? C’mon, I’ll take you back to your room. I’m taking Rebecca back, so I’ll take you too.”

“No.” Emily meant to say it adamantly, yet it was more of a pout. “I’hm waiting for Joyce...She…” And for some reason she started to sniffle. “She said she wouldn’t leave me…!” The sad drunk started to whimper, bleeding into the personality of a stubborn toddler.

“And she’ll be happy as can be once she sees you back at your room. Do you remember your room number? We’ll get you there.”

“Mhm...” Emily nodded as she was already standing. So much for the crying fit about staying.

Rebecca seemed to need a more hands-on approach as Hank continued to be firm with a grip on her waist. Emily stayed quiet, although holding Hank’s other hand as he led them through the crowd.

Had she been of a sober mind, Emily would have certainly been upset, yet would have been forgiving once Joyce did finally see her. Instead of that, all she felt was the cloudy dread of being a poor doe unaccounted for. She wanted Joyce right then. This sucked. She somewhat had fun tonight, even if Rebecca was a pain at first, but the only thing that could solve her unease was getting back to Joyce.

“Emily, what’s your floor?” Hank asked the quiet, daydreaming girl.

“Fifteen...” She murmured as clear as can be, backed by zero confidence. It was a crapshoot trying to guess the floor even on a sober moment, much less one where half her brain seemed to function. Why fifteen? Because fifteen felt...like a number.

Hank punched the number without question on the panel. Up they went.

Once they reached the floor with a ding Emily stepped off first.

Hank started the process of moving Rebecca who looked even more lurched over, only until she seemed to drag Hank’s suit jacket downard with all her body weight.

“Rebecca...” Hank sighed as he stood in an awkward stance, trying to get her upright. “We can’t walk like this if you’re gonna--”

A short-breathed grunt escaped Rebecca’s mouth. “G-gonna...” And as the words left her, so did her bile, reaching Hank’s ears as well as the substance reaching his pants did.

Rebecca’s arms hung over her head as she was nearly ninety degrees bent over. Hank barely managed to hold her up as his face shuddered in surprise and disgust.

“R-Rebecca...!” He cried at a sheer loss, well-conscious enough to know the pointlessness in scolding a drunk. “What the fu--!”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence before the elevator doors closed. Emily stood there dumbly in the hallway, a place her room did not belong to, now separated from the other two.

As she looked around the empty hallway, she scantly remembered why she even asked for the fifteenth floor. Was that the floor of their home back in the complex? Who knows. Too drunk to remember. She needed fresh air. It was too stuffy. It was hot…

Opting for a different elevator, back down to the lobby she went.

Thankfully her heels were short. They were like training heels compared to the ones she saw Joyce in. Emily could almost get away with normal footsteps, though needing to invest a slight bit more care in the way she walked, but thankfully within the means of her impaired mind.

Her feet clicked across the mostly empty lobby, yet seeming to be a place of internationals and big business, there was always something going on, whether it be check-outs for an international flight, or check-ins for the exact same reason.

She found a cozy bench beside the glass windows, sitting right near the entrance and exit as well as in front of the water fountain. Listening to the calming gush of water, leaning her head against the cool glass. It was nice.

“Check her out...” A distant voice chuckled. “Think she had a good night?” He sounded as if he was speaking to someone beside him.

“Oh, you’re right...Is she okay?”

“Probably sleeping off a drink? We sort of do the same thing.”

“Yes, but not in the middle of a hotel lobby; we should do something...”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine? ”

“Greg, don’t say that...Look, I’ll make sure she gets back to her room. Meet you back up at ours? Someone’s gotta put our food in the fridge anyways.”

“You got it, boss woman.” It sounded like a salute as one walked farther away while a lighter set of footsteps came closer.

Emily was dreamily dozing, half-asleep and half-awake, though she began to lose the former state of mind as a hand touched her shoulder. Emily hadn’t even the clarity to assume she was in danger or being assaulted as she lazily stirred and opened her eyes.

“Hello?” A blurry face slowly set into sharpness. Emily needed to blink a few more times just to get things into focus.

“What…?” Emily seemed to muster so casually despite them being a stranger. Maybe Rebecca’s interaction seemed to have desensitised her to new meetings. And just as things remained visually unknown for just a tinge longer, deep down, of course she hoped that it was Joyce.

“Are you okay? Can you stand?” They asked her.

“Are we going back up to the room…?” Emily murmured as she rubbed her eyes. Paired with too much drinking, she wasn’t used to being up this late.

“I can take you back to your room, yes. Do you remember which floor?”

“You forgot, too?” Emily yawned. Joyce’s touch felt lighter than she remembered. It didn’t feel as hands-on this time. She had half a mind to shove herself into the hand just to get Joyce doing it the right way again.

“Well, you never told me...” The woman said at a loss. Emily frowned a little. That didn’t sound like Joyce…

She finally fully opened her eyes, looking over.

It wasn’t Joyce.

“You’re not...” Emily frowned.

“I’m...not?” The woman confusedly blinked behind her glasses. “Listen, I think you’ve had a bit too much to drink. Why don’t we go ask one of the staff to help you--”

“Can I use your phone…?” Emily suddenly asked in a state of tired delirium.

“To call a friend…?” She cautiously asked. “If you give me a number I can dial it for you?”

Emily went quiet, biting her lower lip. She forgot Joyce’s number...for whatever reason, it slipped her mind. Digits went in some places, while others felt jumbled and scattered. Why couldn’t she think straight? Where was Joyce?

She hiccuped, but not because of alcohol this time. 

“W-wait, don’t cry. What’s wrong? Hey, can you talk to me?” The voice continued to coax, yet Emily was a mess.

She took a long, drawn-out sniff as she’d gone from a moment of peace to complete confusion once again. Why did she even go down to the hotel lobby? For a moment of relaxation? How did this get her any closer to being back home? All she wanted was to be in bed right now. She wanted Joyce to find her. Why wasn’t she here yet? She always found her!

“What’s your name, hon? Can you tell me that?”

“E-Emily...” She rubbed her eyes. The chandelier above was too bright… Where was a pillow she could just smother her face with?

“Okay, Emily, what’s the name of your friend? I can go ask one of the hotel staff.” How likely of a needle in a haystack that could be, though. Lord if Emily could give her a last name to narrow the search.

“Joyce...” Emily mumbled. “Joyce S-Summer...s...”

“Joyce?” The confirmation was more than just that. Something else, like surprise? Or disbelief?

Emily thought she nodded, or gave some kind of murmur as an affirmation. Either way, no more questions came her way, so she assumed that the job on her part was done.

“Ms.Summers…?” She spoke next to Emily, though not at her. To someone else. Was she on the phone? “I...yes, I understand...I...yes, but, I think I found who you’re looking for...” She pulled the phone away from her ear. “Emily?” She fished for her attention as she put the phone up against her ear.

“Emily?” A slightly hastened voice came from the other end. “Emily? Are you there?”

“Joyce?” She answered back. It had to have been her, unless this stranger was able to pick apart Emily’s memories to manifest the perfect doppelganger to ever exist.

There was a heavy sigh of relief from the other end. “Thank goodness...Where are you? I’ve been looking everywhere for you all night!”

“I’m in the lobby...” Emily tearily yawned. Was she coming to get her now? She really did feel like a lost child. The day had been long and exhausting. She was done doing the heavy lifting.

“Don’t move an inch. I’m coming right now. Put Sheila back on, please.”

Emily lazily swapped her head to the other shoulder. “She wants to talk to you...” Emily yawned. It was hardly even a thought in Emily’s mind as she heard the name. Sheila. Maybe she’d heard it before, maybe she hadn’t. Too hard to tell at the moment if it bore any significance. Was that this woman’s name? How did she figure out Joyce’s number?

“Ms.Summers?” Sheila put the phone back on her ear. “Yes, I can wait here. I’ll watch her, yes. I’ll see you once you get down here. Yes, understood.” She soon hung up afterwards.

Emily had closed her eyes once more, nearly falling over onto nothing as she leaned the other way. Sheila thankfully was faster and pulled her back over to her, unceremoniously slumping her onto her own shoulder. This was certainly awkward, maybe helped the slightest bit by a modicum of familiarity.

This. This was the final piece to the puzzle. The hidden cog that drove the machine. The arbiter of her boss’ mood, what dictated her whims and generosity. What decides whether it’d be a good day or a bad day for the people in wake of Joyce’s wrath.

She looked over at the tiny titan with an odd sense of interest, finally seeing with her own eyes the hidden hand she thought she’d never see.

Little Miss Summers herself. In the flesh.

[Guilend]

So sad and many feels in this chapter. I love it as always. 

[Sarah Penguin]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hmm

[kerry]

2 hours ago, Mee said:

interesting horderves

Spellcheck needed here: hors d'oeuvres

2 hours ago, Mee said:

Beyond the glass windows and doors it led into a massive lobby, championing a ceiling that selfishly ate away either the two or three floors that could have been there instead

Lovely image!

[WBDaddy]

I sense an argument coming off this thing, and it won't be pretty.  

[kerry]

This VERY welcome chapter is a work of art. It's so rich in detail and so much fun as it twists and turns its way through this party like a second visit to the zoo. Wonderful! ?

[AdultInnocence]

3 hours ago, WBDaddy said:

I sense an argument coming off this thing, and it won't be pretty.  

Or Jouce will blame herself and go easy on Em.

[Brutal_Ink]

I really enjoyed this chapter! Your descriptions are wonderful, and it was nice to get a look into Joyce's world.  I think there will definitely be some kind of dialogue about getting separated, but I can't see Joyce being too upset with Emily or vice-versa. Joyce is there for business as you stated, so she can't very well ignore potential business partners/clients...

Emily will probably beat herself up a bit like she usually does, but I'd like to think there will be a happy resolution at the end of it all. Still, I'd have thought she would have been a bit more observant, since she was so anxious.

In any case, excellent work, and I look forward to seeing what happens next!

[YourFNF]

Wow... I had a feeling this was going to go bad....

[Mee]

16 hours ago, Guilend said:

So sad and many feels in this chapter. I love it as always. 

Uh oh! I wasn't hoping to create much of a sad vibe with this one. It was sort of meant to be safe/controlled chaos. Granted, Emily is sort of in a dramatic situation right now. Thank you for commenting!

16 hours ago, Sarah Penguin said:

Hmm

Hmm indeed!

15 hours ago, kerry said:

Spellcheck needed here: hors d'oeuvres

Lovely image!

Thank you for the correction! I do not do the spelling of fancy words very well, it would seem. A lot like Emily, I feel like an impostor when it comes to tackling certain scenes "accurately"...

15 hours ago, WBDaddy said:

I sense an argument coming off this thing, and it won't be pretty.  

If I had to guess, possibly a light scolding. I see people drawing parallels to the zoo incident which I sort of agree with looking at the general flow, but I would argue there isn't as much emotional tension to this incident, or at least there won't be any kind of break-up make-up kind of play like there was last time.Thanks for keeping interested!

15 hours ago, kerry said:

This VERY welcome chapter is a work of art. It's so rich in detail and so much fun as it twists and turns its way through this party like a second visit to the zoo. Wonderful! ?

Thank you very much! Emily and Joyce never seem to catch a break with each other... As a personal rule of storytelling: if there's a plan, it shall go wrong without fail. Similar to the zoo trip, but thankfully no one's really hurt right now! (Emily's crying fit is thanks to her intoxication and tiredness).

12 hours ago, AdultInnocence said:

Or Jouce will blame herself and go easy on Em.

I definitely think that Joyce is going to be harder on herself for this one. From the start she's had it in her head that this is something she convinced Emily to do, and consequently all the mishaps that might follow are her responsibility to deal with. She was determined to pamper Emily during the trip, but unfortunately that seems to have fallen through a bit! Thank you for commenting!

4 hours ago, Brutal_Ink said:

I really enjoyed this chapter! Your descriptions are wonderful, and it was nice to get a look into Joyce's world.  I think there will definitely be some kind of dialogue about getting separated, but I can't see Joyce being too upset with Emily or vice-versa. Joyce is there for business as you stated, so she can't very well ignore potential business partners/clients...

Emily will probably beat herself up a bit like she usually does, but I'd like to think there will be a happy resolution at the end of it all. Still, I'd have thought she would have been a bit more observant, since she was so anxious.

In any case, excellent work, and I look forward to seeing what happens next!

Joyce I think is going to be getting a bit more limelight soon. I'm still at a crossroads for a certain kind of development, but Joyce will eventually be the one to initiate it. What might happen is definitely going to be an "out there" sort of thing, but hopefully I can make it convincing enough as we slowly bring together all the threads we've seen thus far.

4 hours ago, YourFNF said:

Wow... I had a feeling this was going to go bad....

Naturally, of course! What fun would it have been otherwise? Thanks for the comment and I hope you continue to enjoy reading!

[WBDaddy]

5 hours ago, Mee said:

If I had to guess, possibly a light scolding.

See, if Joyce tries to scold Emily over it, I imagine there'd be pushback - it wasn't Emily's fault they got separated, and she didn't move from that one table until the rest of the night.  I suppose we'll see if that conflict happens while Emily is still drunk, which might make her more volatile while Joyce is still coming down off that panic adrenaline. 

[AdultInnocence]

I see another problem here as well. I was thinking about the story and how it ended today while more awake. Last time Emily got really drunk she wet the bed. Unless Joyce had the forethought and thinking there may be a chance for her to have little time with Emily while on the trip, there are no diapers.

I also suspect that possibly Joyce had planned for them to stay a couple more days with how she packed. The first day of course would be on a company, the next couple though I'm sure Joyce has no problem being able to pay for.

Will be looking forward to the next chapter.

[AbyMatt]

Great chapter. It really shows how it only takes a moment's lapse for things to sideways. I'm glad she ended up in the hands of decent people.

I was worried for a minute that things were going to go to dark places when Emily got noticed by the couple in the lobby.

The way Sheila was thinking of her at the end was a little sinister. I hope she is only curious what makes her boss tick and not planning to exploit her.

[Traycie]

On 7/8/2021 at 5:29 AM, AbyMatt said:

Great chapter. It really shows how it only takes a moment's lapse for things to sideways. I'm glad she ended up in the hands of decent people.

I was worried for a minute that things were going to go to dark places when Emily got noticed by the couple in the lobby.

The way Sheila was thinking of her at the end was a little sinister. I hope she is only curious what makes her boss tick and not planning to exploit her.

Definitely an excellent chapter, twice Emily could have been taken by different couples to be their little girl and twice she somehow managed to avoid that situation, would love to see that happen at some point and for Joyce to be her knight in shining armour who has to use all of her resources to search for her and eventually retake Emily from her new parents where she has been regressed to a second toddlerhood and all the trappings that go with it. 

[Sarah Penguin]

4 minutes ago, Traycie said:

Definitely an excellent chapter, twice Emily could have been taken by different couples to be their little girl and twice she somehow managed to avoid that situation, would love to see that happen at some point and for Joyce to be her knight in shining armour who has to use all of her resources to search for her and eventually retake Emily from her new parents where she has been regressed to a second toddlerhood and all the trappings that go with it. 

But Emily is a toddler she can walk mostly,, needs rules and structure. Indeed she can summon annihilation if she is told no. She has already destroyed infinite earths already and wandered lost and  alone through endless parallel earths searching for the earth that is only yes can have the candy bag that is bigger than you.