For her to call him - what?  Keltham doesn't know.  There is something, but he doesn't know what.

Implied in Carissa's words is that there's a version that's a game, and a version that isn't just a game.  He can already feel from where he is, that this must be so, but he doesn't know what lies beyond this, beyond just the sexual infliction of pain.  And maybe he shouldn't ask, shouldn't delve too greedily and too deep upon a first date.

"Don't call me anything you don't mean," he says, and there's an undertone in his voice that isn't often heard in dath ilan; what he said should have been a request, it's not clear what multiagent equilibrium could sensibly exist where that could be something other than a request, but it wasn't one.  And because it felt right, his hand pressed fingernails into her breast again as he said it.

For her to call him - what?  Keltham doesn't know.  There is something, but he doesn't know what.

Implied in Carissa's words is that there's a version that's a game, and a version that isn't just a game.  He can already feel from where he is, that this must be so, but he doesn't know what lies beyond this, beyond just the sexual infliction of pain.  And maybe he shouldn't ask, shouldn't delve too greedily and too deep upon a first date.  He doesn't want to slow down for explanations.

"Don't call me anything you don't mean," he says, and there's an undertone in his voice that isn't often heard in dath ilan; what he said should have been a request, it's not clear what multiagent equilibrium could sensibly exist where that could be something other than a request, but it wasn't one.  And because it felt right, his hand pressed fingernails into her breast again as he said it.

For her to call him - what?  Keltham doesn't know.  There is something, but he doesn't know what.

Implied in Carissa's words is that there's a version that's a game, and a version that isn't just a game.  He can already feel from where he is, that this must be so, but he doesn't know what lies beyond this, beyond just the sexual infliction of pain.  And maybe he shouldn't ask, shouldn't delve too greedily and too deep upon a first date.  He doesn't want to slow down for explanations either; he can ask afterwards.

"Don't call me anything you don't mean," he says, and there's an undertone in his voice that isn't often heard in dath ilan; what he said should have been a request, it's not clear what multiagent equilibrium could sensibly exist here where that could be something other than a request, but it wasn't one.  And because it felt right, his hand pressed fingernails into her breast again as he said it.

For her to call him - what?  Keltham doesn't know.  There is something, but he doesn't know what.

Implied in Carissa's words is that there's a version that's a game, and a version that isn't just a game.  He can already feel from where he is, that this must be so.  But he doesn't know what lies beyond this, beyond just the sexual infliction of pain.  And maybe he shouldn't ask, shouldn't delve too greedily and too deep upon a first date.  He doesn't want to slow down for explanations either; he can ask afterwards.

"Don't call me anything you don't mean," he says, and there's an undertone in his voice that isn't often heard in dath ilan; what he said should have been a request, it's not clear what multiagent equilibrium could sensibly exist here where that could be something other than a request, but it wasn't one.  And because it felt right, his hand pressed fingernails into her breast again as he said it.