After a while, Madam moves her hand, and turns our tender touch into a firm handshake. I do believe that we haven’t been properly introduced yet, she says. My name is Ruby Silverston. It's a pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to traveling with you. I return the gesture, my name is Zafira…Moonchild, I add after some hesitation. It’s a pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to traveling with you.

As we release our hands, I add timidly, would it be ok for you if we keep addressing each other like we have been up till now? She thinks about that for a bit, and says, we can if you would enjoy that. I … admit that I have been enjoying the way you act, although I have also been feeling very conflicted about just that. I … really shouldn’t be enjoying it so much, it’s demeaning to you, and unbecoming behavior of a true lady. Even though you did everything without me pushing you into it, I still feel like I should apologize to you for the way I’ve been treating you.

Please don’t feel bad about that, I plead. As you said, I did whatever I wanted, and you just let me do so. I’m happy that I’m able to be my subby self, without judgment or reservations.

Subby, she asks, could you explain what you mean by that, I’m not familiar with the word. I blush, as I realize I really walked myself into that one. Ah well, she already saw all of my feelings - twice - might as well explicitly tell her why I enjoy our interactions so much. It’s a shortening of submissive, I tell her. It means that I enjoy it when someone else takes the lead, and I follow. There’s more to it, but that is a good way to think about it for now.

You're joking right, she asks. I haven’t met many people who are more free spirited than you are. I nod, it’s just one part of who I am, I enjoy many things. It’s true that I take great pleasure in paving my own road without being bound by limitations. However, I also truly enjoy following your lead when I am on the boat with you.

She frowns at this, I cannot claim that I truly understand it, she says. But, I have felt your soul, and I am convinced that you won’t do anything, or accept any kind of treatment that you don’t agree with without a fight. So if you say that it’s ok for me to enjoy treating you like this, then I can accept that. As long as you can promise me that you will tell me if those feelings would change. You are an amazing witch, and deserve to be treated with respect.

My heart flutters at her compliment, and I nod in acknowledgement, of course I will. Thank you Madam, for accepting me as I am, and treating me the way I love, instead of how you were taught was right.

Hmm, she says, since we are talking about the subject, why do you use that weird intonation when saying madam? I assumed it was an accent from your old world, but you don’t do it with any other words. I blush, indeed, I do not. It’s something I learned only after arriving in this world that matches quite well with a custom from my old world’s written language. When a submissive writes to a dominant - that’s our word for the person who enjoys taking the lead - they often capitalize the first letter in a form of address, to show their respect towards that person.

I see, and where did you learn this intonation? I thought you had only just arrived in this world when you knocked on my door. I … learned it from the Moon Divinity, they showed me the proper way to show respect to a divinity when addressing them, I blush.

She blinks at that, I’m sorry, did I understand this correctly. An actual divinity taught you how you should address one of their standing. However you completely ignore that when talking to your ‘little blue’. But do use it to show your respect towards me? Yes, that sums it up pretty well, I reply. She sighs, why? Because I want blue to become my friend, I answer honestly. You can’t be true friends if you place each other on a pedestal. Or if you’re just exchanging favors. That’s why I never ask them for anything or use their powers. I just talk to them, and I hope that in time they’ll open up more to me too. I do use the proper forms of address when a divine manifests before me in all their glory. Kinda like how you’d speak more formally during certain events. But beyond that, I won’t, if they don’t like the way I speak to them, they can always choose not to speak with me. As I say this, I feel a chuckle coming from little blue.

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I must admit that explanation is very … you, she smiles. Try not to push any divine too far though, I would very much like to enjoy our journey together, and that would be difficult if lightning just happened to fall from the sky and incinerated you. I’ll do my best, I say. Maybe that statement would have been more convincing if you weren’t smiling so much, she adds dryly. At which I just shrug.

Can I ask a question as well Madam? Go ahead little one. I love the silence thing we usually have going. Not speaking unless I’m spoken to can feel really great for me. However, just like we’re doing now, I do like it if we sometimes just speak freely about our feelings. Would it be ok if we do this again in the future? hmm, most of the time I prefer the silence, she says. However, I do see the use of talking like this, I feel like I’ve learned more about you in the last few minutes than in the previous week we spent together. Very well, I’ll let you know the next time you can ‘speak freely’ as you put it. However, we still have something else to discuss right now, when will we start our journey?

Right now? I reply hesitantly. Is there any reason to postpone it? I guess not, she says. I’ve been here for long enough, a chance of scenery would be nice. I haven’t tried it before, but I do expect that I won’t be able to manifest when the boat is in carry mode though.

So, no one to disturb your peace either? Indeed, she answers with a satisfied look. I will enjoy the quiet very much, no need to rush to our next destination. Just choose a spot with a nice view when you expand the boat again. Also, the backpack in the lower closet is perfectly sized for carrying both the collapsed boat as well as any supplies you might need along the way.

Sounds great, I answer, is there any specific place you would like to go to? No, she replies, this is your journey, I’m just along to enjoy the sights. Flutter wherever your heart wants to fly to. If you want an easy place to start, there’s a small town in the direction you came from. They should be able to provide you with some rough maps to help you plan your journey. But with your abilities, you could just start walking in any direction and see where the wind leads you as well.

I smile at that, Thank you Madam. I’m looking forward to seeing you at our next stop. She smiles back, and fades out slowly, till I’m once again alone in the cabin. I resume my usual routine of silence in the cabin, and quietly gather whatever I think I’ll need during the journey into the backpack she mentioned. I spend a lot of time thinking in front of the clothes closet. There are many things in my size, including shoes. And I know that I should wear at least something when I enter civilization again. But I really don’t feel like it. In the end, I put on a really skimpy outfit with barely any fabric, that looks somewhat like a belly dancer’s outfit from my old world. I have no idea why Madam has something like that in her closet that is otherwise filled with very stylish clothes. But I’m just going to consider myself lucky that she has. I choose not to put on shoes though. I’ve been fine foraging through a wild forest for a week now without any issues. And I love feeling the constant connection to the earth. My hair gets a good brushing, after which I put the brush away in the backpack. I look around one last time, and after confirming my mental checklist, I leave the cabin in silence.

As I come to stand beside the boat, I’m feeling quite giddy from excitement. Although I’ve been using magic constantly ever since arriving here, this will be my first time activating a magical item. When I touch the boat, and utter its secret command word, it slowly starts to fold up. The process seems to go slowly, but soon, the boat is no more, and all that’s left is a box that fits perfectly in the lower compartment of the backpack.

I whistle in appreciation, as I easily pick up the box, and store it away. Just like the manual said, it only weighs a few pounds. Even though the expanded boat was large and heavy. I look around me, trying to decide which direction the beginning of this new chapter in my life will take. But after a bit, I stop thinking about it, and just close my eyes, to feel what comes to me. I feel a pull from the direction of where I first came into this world. So it seems that I’ll be going to that village that Madam suggested first. With a spring in my step, I start walking.