Chapter 15: Battle Results

 

It was only after more than two hours that Bella and Lily were free to leave. Lily, having some pent up frustration, immediately went into lecture mode once they were seated in the car.

 

“Happy with yourself, mistress?”~Lily

 

“Didn’t we succeed? And you even managed to come out of there without a single cheek pinch too.”~Bella

 

“Not even close. If that was a battlefield and the elders were the enemy, then we got slaughtered. You really need to learn quickly how to read the intent behind words. We only have a month to train up your wordplay before our next visit. As for pinching, they apparently control their urges once you become an adult.”~Lily

 

“Did I miss something?”~Bella

 

“Only the most important parts. First off, you’ve volunteered me to be a model with you.”~Lily

 

“But only I agreed to that!”~Bella

 

“Yes, but the invitation was for the pair of us and you didn’t clarify that you were accepting for yourself only. After which, I could only silently accept your decision or I would be seen as a bad friend.”~Lily

 

“Ugh, sorry. You said first, how much did I screw up exactly?”~Bella

 

“They had you wrapped around their fingers, but they only tricked you with one more major thing. You agreed that we’ll be visiting them often. Once per month precisely.”~Lily

 

“Wasn’t that just an open invitation, to visit them for advice as needed though?”~Bella

 

“If they hadn’t specified about the timing of visits, then it might be. Remember when they said ‘the trends change quickly; about three times a season’? Three times four seasons is twelve months of the year. ‘Won’t you visit’ was used instead of ‘you may visit’ as well. You agreed to visit them once a month.”~Lily

 

“How sly. But wait! How could they be sure that I would make good on the promises if I couldn’t even understand what I promised in the first place.”~Bella

 

“They counted on you not understanding to trick you, but also counted on me being a good friend to explain it to you later.”~Lily

 

Somewhere along the line while Lily started to point out all of Bella’s mistakes, the ‘masobitch tutor’ persona came online. Bella ended up with a headache by the time they got home from trying to wrap her head around all the wordplay tricks she’d just been taught.

 

Lily, very helpfully, gave Bella a lap pillow temple and head massage until she fell asleep. She then gently replaced her lap with a pillow and went about performing other duties.

 

Bella stirred some time later. The scent of dinner cooking had awoken her.

 

*ching ching ching ching*

 

She heard the sound of little bells when she started to rouse.

 

*ching ching ching ching*

 

Looking for the source, she quickly realized that ribbons with bells on them had been tied to her four extremities while she’d slept. With only one possible culprit in the house, she quickly found Lily in the kitchen heating up dinner.

 

*ching ching ching ching*

 

“Lily, what’s up with the bells?”~Bella

 

“Your movements at the parlor were a bit stiff and jerky. The bells are to help you train to use smoother motions. Aim to never hear the bells when moving around, but without moving as slow as a snail.”~Lily

 

“This probably won’t work. My mom also tried this trick with me when I was younger, after I’d told her I wanted to grow up to be a model just like her. I ended up liking the sound of the bell so much that it had an opposite effect and I eventually started tuning them out completely.”~Bella

 

“Let’s give these a shot first and if they really don’t work… Mistress, I may have an idea for an alternate method. Just that it’s not as innocuous as these little bells. And it will take some time to prepare.”~Lily

 

“Whatever you can think of, just go for it. Since I’ve asked you to help me with these kinds of things, you don’t need to ask me about every little detail.”~Bella

 

“As long as you're sure, mistress. Then I’ll go ahead.”~Lily

 

Lily then dished up dinner for them to eat. While Bella relaxed afterwards, Lily cleaned up and then set about typing up the idea on her laptop, sending it out in an email when she was done.

 

Shortly after, she got a message on her phone from the other party saying that they’ll send them a quote once they’ve worked out the technical details and made a preliminary design based on her requirements.

 

Thinking about the fun time Bella was about to have when this devious little device was completed, an amused smile gradually graced Lily’s lips. Even after heading to bed together, she still couldn’t help smiling.

 

It should also be noted that Lily has yet to ever sleep in her own bed. After the first night of sleeping together, they have slept together ever since. Though, too bad that Bella is still too timid to go further and has thus ordered Lily to sleep each night soon after tucking in.