by Van © 2023
		Chapter 9

The re-wiring phase of the Munro Sister's project passed the midway point near the end of the following week.  The mansion's "easy access" paneling system might be making the job easier, but Kenzy and Sam still had to work slowly and carefully so as not to damage the elaborate and expensive woodwork in the mansion's finished spaces.

On the artistic front, Danica completed what she insisted was the first of a planned series of paintings she'd entitled "Gingers in Bondage!"  The casual unveiling happened one day after breakfast in one of the mansion's sitting rooms with all the residents present, clustered around the canvas, sipping coffee or tea, and admiring the depiction of Sam-the-grumpy-redhead wearing nothing but a too-short spruce-green camisole and lashed in a kneeling position on the daybed of Danica's studio.

Everyone was quite complimentary, including Kenzy, and Danica basked in the effusive praise.  Sam, on the other hand, was silent and sulking... and blushing... but that lasted only until Danica reiterated her ridiculous assertion that this would be only the first of several studies of bound gingers.  It was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back when the smug blonde artist began begging her mother and Sam's bossy older sister to give her model a day off so she could pose for her "next" canvas.

Sam shook her head and (still blushing) eloquently announced that she was not going to sit still for another physically restrained modeling session.  "No."

"Of course you are, darling," Danica gushed.  "Erato will not be denied."

Kenzy leaned close to Gabby and whispered in her ear.  "Erato?"

"One of the muses," Gabby whispered back, "I think."

Danica had noticed the exchange but had been unable to make out the whispers.  She focused on Kenzy.  "I suppose we could start on the first of your canvases," she suggested.

Kenzy's smile vanished and her green eyes popped wide.  "What?  No!"

Gabby nudged Kenzy's shoulder.  "You didn't notice when The Princess said her series would be called 'Gingers In Bondage?'  Gingerzzz?  Plural?"

Now Kenzy was scowling and Sam was the one smiling.  "Excellent," the youngest Munro purred.

"Dream on," Kenzy huffed, rapidly shifting her hostile glare from her little sister to Danica and back again.

Nora stepped in and rescued the situation.  "There will be no modeling until after the re-wiring is finished, Princess," she said to her daughter.  "Kenzy and Samantha need to concentrate on their work."

"Damn straight!" Sam nodded, then her blush returned and she focused on the Nordberg Matriarch.  "Pardon my French," she muttered.

"No problem, darling," Nora chuckled.

Sam shifted her smile (and blush) to the resident artist.  "I mean it, DP," she growled.  "I am not gonna pose for you again.  Once was more than enough."

Kenzy frowned.  "'Dee-Pee?'"

Sam's smile widened.  "New nicknames."  Smiling smugly, he pointed at Danica—"DP"—Nora—"DQ"—and Gabby—"DV"—then paused for effect before continuing.  (Clearly, she was very proud of herself.)  "Disney Princess, Disney Queen, and Disney Villainess."

It was a testament to the excellent employer/contractor relations in Nordberg Mansion that Sam felt free to "insult" the entire client family, Kenzy let her get away with it (without even a warning glare), and the Nordbergs were amused and not even slightly offended.

Danica giggled, then rounded on Sam.  "You should talk... 'Merida.'"

Kenzy's frown returned, and once again Gabby nudged her shoulder and came to her rescue.  "Brave?  The Disney movie?"  Princess Merida?"  Kenzy was still frowning.  'I'll be shootin' fer me own hand!'" Gabby added in an exaggerated Scottish brogue.

Kenzy's smile returned.  "Oh," she nodded, "that Merida."

"I don't do archery," Sam stated, shaking her head.

"I'll teach you," Gabby offered.  "I seem to recall we have some old bows and arrows in one of the sheds.  I'll have a few hay bales delivered and we can set up a target range behind the garage.  We'll have DP tied to a post and you shootin' apples off her head in no time."

"Thanks, DV," Sam beamed.

"Hah!" DP huffed, then stomped from the room (very dramatically).  "If anybody needs me," she called back over her shoulder, "I'll be in my Studio working on sketches of Princess Merida in hideous bondage predicaments."

The others exchanged smiles and began their workdays.

Saturday arrived and Nora made good on her horrible threat to involuntarily drag Kenzy into town and inflict upon her tourism and a delicious lunch, then force her to accept a pretty sundress (female attire!) at Nordberg expense.  Gabby went along to help keep the pouting redhead under firm control.

Actually, Kenzy had come to accept that she had no choice but to accept Nora's sartorial largess.  It was obvious the Nordberg matriarch did, indeed, enjoy buying gifts for her friends, and after all, it was only a dress.  How bad could it be to look pretty?

That meant that back at the mansion Sam and Danica were free to do whatever they wanted!  The "youngsters" waved as the SUV rolled away and disappeared down the tree-lined driveway.  They'd kissed Nora on her smiling, dimpled cheeks—teased Kenzy unmercifully about her impending feminization (of course)—and bade Gabby a good-natured good-riddance—and now they had the entire place to themselves (not counting Kimiko)!  Best of all, Danica knew where one of the handful of Magical Golden Master Barrel-Keys was kept!  She could lead Sam on a little discrete and unsupervised dungeon exploration!  However...

Kimiko (smiling and regal, as always) had been present for the sendoff, and now she turned to the grinning girls.  "Tai chi," she announced.

Danica and Sam exchanged startled looks.  They'd already agreed to preface their Glorious Day of Freedom (and subterranean investigation) with a dollop of exercise, but tai chi hadn't even been on their list.  Danica had argued for an extended nature hike while Sam had advocated a more vigorous cross-country run "to get the blood pumping."  In any case (and without uttering another word), Kimiko-sama was already walking away, obviously heading around the mansion to the semi-secluded stretch of green lawn on the edge of the forest between the mansions trail-heads and the wildlife pond, the area the residents used for yoga and tai chi.

Several yards distant, Kimiko paused to look back at the blonde and redhead (calmly, serenely)... then continued on her way.

Danica and Sam exchanged another look... heaved simultaneous sighs... then scampered after Kimiko-sama.  Okay, tai chi it was.

As it turned out, having their exercise choice hijacked was only the first unexpected development.  Once they rounded the side of the mansion, instead of heading directly for the customary stretch of lawn, Kimiko made a leisurely side trip to a small deck off one of the sitting rooms... then started to undress!

Sam and Danica skidded to a halt and stared in surprise (and wonder).  The clothing problem hadn't occurred to them.  The ginger and blonde were in their typical weekend attire of casual sneakers, shorts, and tank-top, and sandals and sundress (respectively), whereas Kimiko-sama was in sandals and a very pretty lightweight wrap-dress, her typical weekend casual costume, and there wasn't a leotard, pair of yoga pants, or a pajama-like Asian outfit in sight.  Anyway, Kimiko removed her sandals... followed by her dress... followed by her bra and panties, and soon, was standing in graceful, stately, glorious nudity, her clothing folded and in a neat stack on the seat of a deck chair, and gazing at Sam and Danica with a serene smile.

The girls already knew (everybody already knew) that Kimiko-sama was beautiful and in excellent physical condition.  Yoga costumes, leotards, and other exercise clothes leave little to the imagination in that regard, and now, without any clothing, nothing was hidden.  Kimiko was a gorgeous, curvaceous, sexy woman... even if she was 40-something.  Sam was beyond impressed.  Danica was already familiar with her sensi's body, so she was already a devoted and respectful fan.

Smiling her usual serene smile, Kimiko gazed at the young redhead and blonde.  "From now on, all tai chi and yoga sessions will be conducted in the nude," she announced.

"Yes, Sensi," Danica bowed, then began undressing.

Sam blinked and stared.  "What?"  She focused her attention on Kimiko (who, as already mentioned, was now totally and casually naked).  "Why?"

"Mrs. Nordberg and I agree that it would be better if your freckles were more evenly distributed," Kimiko explained.  "One method would be to keep you completely away from direct sunlight for several months, until all of your existing freckles fade away, then begin nude exercise and carefully regulated sunbathing to bring them back evenly, but we agreed on a different course."

What do you mean 'we?' Sam silently frowned.  "Don't I have a say about this?" she demanded aloud.

"No," Kimiko answered, still smiling.  Her naked serenity never wavered.  She turned to Danica.  "You are now responsible for this project.  After today you will apply tanning lotion and sunscreen to the subject's appropriate areas and ensure that regular tanning sessions occur.  Do you understand?"

Danica bowed deeply.  "Yes, Sensi," she answered.  By this time Danica was also naked and her clothing were neatly stacked on a second deck chair.

Sam didn't appreciate being referred to as "the subject," and the way Danica's breasts hung and wobbled when she bowed wasn't at all distracting.  In any case, the issue of her personal freckle distribution (and redistribution) required push-back.  "You expect me to let DP rub lotion all over my tits whenever she wants?" Sam demanded, pointing at Danica (who had an infuriating ghost of a smug smile curling her lips).

"Yes," Kimiko answered, then returned to instructing Danica.  "Develop a tanning schedule for my approval.  Also, your cousin will be in charge of correcting Kenzy's freckle deficiencies, so the pair of you should compare notes."

"Yes, Sensi," Danica intoned, bowing once again.  (Wobble-wobble-wobble.)

This is outrageous, Sam silently fumed.  Then again... I've never not had tan-lines... meaning freckle-lines.  It might look good.  She noticed the other two were gazing at her expectantly (at least she thought it was expectantly).  Oh.  Right.  Clothes.  She heaved an irritated sigh—Why not?—then crossed her arms over her tummy, grabbed the front hem of her tank-top du jour, and pulled it over her head.  Her sneakers, anklets, shorts, and panties quickly followed.  As usual, Sam was not wearing a bra.  Soon, the frowning ginger's clothing were neatly stacked on a third deck chair and Sam was as naked as "Sensi" and DP.

Kimiko gracefully spun on her naked heels and padded out onto the lawn.  As soon as the Senior Nudist's back was turned, Sam glared at Danica and stuck out her tongue.  Danica managed not to burst out laughing, but it was a near thing, a very near thing.

And then, tai chi happened... naked tai chi.

It was nearly half an hour of slow, graceful gliding from position to position (with Kimiko leading, of course).  Sensi repeatedly broke pose to correct Sam and Danica's efforts (Sam much more often than the more experienced Danica).  Finally, muscles burning in an arguably pleasant manner and glowing with a light patina of sweat, the trio padded back to the side-deck and retrieved their clothing.  Sam was preparing to pull on her panties when Danica shook her head.

"Wait for instructions," she whispered.

"Huh?" Sam responded.

"Wait!" Danica reiterated.

Kimiko was looking elsewhere with her lips curled in an enigmatic smile (but Sam was sure she'd heard the exchange).  "Bring your clothing and come with me," she commanded with the same serenity and automatic assumption of obedience as before.

Sam was mesmerized.  She realized she ought to be resisting... maybe... at least making snappy comebacks... but instead, she found herself obeying.  Go figure.  Naked and holding her still folded clothing in her hands (like Danica and their Sensi) she padded after Danica... who was padding after Kimiko... who was padding through a pair of French doors and into the mansion.

Their destination was Kimiko's apartment suite.  Sam had already been there during the initial survey, of course, with Danica taking notes.  The cluster of rooms were all an exception to the mansion's Gothic Revival norm, and were one of only three such exceptions.  Instead of dark, elaborate, brooding carved wooden paneling there was plain, smooth paneling, shoji screens, and exposed rafters.  When Kimiko moved into the mansion, she stated that she very much appreciated what at the time had been the "Japanese Sitting and Meditation Rooms," so Nora had happily had the suite converted into a bedroom, and it was now the only sleeping chamber on the first floor.  And oh-by-the-way, there were two other non-Gothic areas in Nordberg Mansion: (1.) an "Egyptian Sitting Room" with King-Tut's-Tomb-style furnishings, knickknacks, and hieroglyphic wallpaper, and (2.) an Art Nouveau Orangery/Greenhouse with ornate, naturalistic cast-iron stanchions, plant stands, and furniture.  (Yes, it's true: Nordberg Mansion was only about 95% Gothic.)  Anyway...

Closed shoji screens separated the suite's actual sleeping chamber from a spacious, spartan main room.  There were a few cushions and low tables, positioned to take full advantage of the charming view of a side-garden through a ceiling-to-floor window-wall, but it was largely an open space with tatami matting on the floor and a lattice of darkly stained timbers overhead.  Kimiko padded to a trunk, lifted its lid, and gestured inside... then padded to a closed shoji screen, slid it open, and entered the space beyond.  The girls caught a glimpse of part of a platform bed before the screen slid closed.

Sam watched as Danica padded to the trunk, placed her clothing within, then frowned and gestured to her fellow student to do the same.  Oh!  Sam padded forward and added her clothes to the trunk, Danica closed the lid, then the naked pair padded to the center of the room and knelt on the mat.  And yes, Sam had finally realized that the first much anticipated "Lesson" was finally happening.  Her mandated and mandatory instruction in what she needed to know to properly play The Game had begun!

As she waited for her/their teacher to return, Sam realized she was... excited.  Her heart was beating at an elevated rate, her mouth was dry, and a delicate thrill of, uh, anticipation was quivering between her legs.  Was Sam scared?  No.  (Not much, anyway.)  Was she Horny?  Okay, yes, she was horny.  She glanced at her companion.  Kneeling and naked at her side, Danica was also a little flustered... maybe... just a little.  It was hard to tell.

The shoji screen shielding the sleeping area slid open and Kimiko returned.  She was wearing a very pretty traditional Japanese costume, at least Sam assumed it was traditional.  Maybe it was a Kimono, or some category of Kimono, but whatever it was called it was a red and white, floor-length, long-sleeve robe with a fabric belt that tied in the back.  It was silky and looked comfortable.  Also, their teacher's feet were now clad in white, split-toe, slipper/socks.  Kimiko was beautiful.  But then, Kimiko was always beautiful.  Also—Sam swallowed nervously—Kimiko-sama was carrying a double armload of brown, three-twist, hemp rope, all in neatly wrapped and hitched bundles.

Kimiko dropped all but one of the rope bundles to the floor, then tossed the coil to Sam.  "Our beloved Princess has shown you the Takatekote, what is called in English a 'box-tie.'  Is that not true?"

Sam blinked at the neat bundle of hemp in her hands, glanced at Danica, then nodded.

Danica rolled her eyes and frowned at Sam.  "Yes, Sensi," she whispered in an aside.

"Huh?" Sam frowned back, then blinked again and cleared her throat.  "Ahem.  Yes, Sensi.  Sorry."

Kimiko (smiling serenely, of course) gestured towards Danica.  "Show me."

Sam blinked again, focused on the rope in her hands, once again, then the naked, kneeling Danica.  "Uh... yes, Sensi."  She climbed to her bare feet, released the retaining hitch of the rope coil, shook it out, and found the center.

Meanwhile, Danica had climbed to her bare feet and was waiting submissively for Sam to follow their teacher's order.

Sam swallowed nervously, then set to work.  Doubled strands of hemp slithered and tightened around Danica's upper body, were hitched and tightened further, and finally, a knot was tied.  Sam took a step back, surveyed her efforts, and affected a shy smile.  Without a doubt it was her best effort to date.  In any case, the ropes were unarguably more symmetrical and uniform than her first attempt.  Despite her nervousness, she had done a good job... or possibly a credible job.  Adequate?  Okay, adequate.

Kimiko stepped forward and turned Danica in a circle, tugging on the ropes and testing their tightness with two fingers, occasionally spinning the submissive blonde back and forth as she examined the tension and lay of the ropes as they tightened here and went slack there in response to her tugging digits.

Sam watched as Danica's flaxen curls swayed and bobbed (as did her rope-framed and slightly squeezed boobs).

"You are trainable," Kimiko said finally.

Sam blushed.  For some reason Kimiko's approval meant something to her.  Go figure.  She continued watching (and blushing) as Kimiko picked up a fresh coil of rope and prepared it for use.  She gasped, but managed not to complain, when Sensi turned her around (meaning Sam), pulled her arms behind her back, and looped rope around her forearms, snugged it tight, and formed a tight knot.  Sam's rapid heartbeat had returned (if it had ever left).  Kimiko continued wrapping rope around her upper body, pinning her arms against her sides, yoking her shoulders, and cinching the bindings tight... but not too tight.  The growing, coalescing bondage was uniformly tight, like when Danica tied her up... only better... more homogeneous.  Kimiko used the two finger technique as she worked (also like Danica), sliding a pair of digits between the rope and Sam's freckled skin as the doubled strands tightened.

There was a lot of slithering and hitching happening behind Sam's back, above her folded arms and below her shoulder blades.  Kimiko was locking off elements of the pattern as she went.  Then, their smiling teacher prepared a second coil of rope for use... and added it to Sam's box-tie, increasing the complexity of the basic pattern... and remarkably, as doubled-loop followed doubled-loop followed hitch followed tension-locking-hitch, the tension of the overall bondage remained uniform.  Sam knew the first coil had already rendered her completely helpless.  The second coil was simply... decorative?

Meanwhile, Danica had taken a few steps to the side, gracefully settled to the tatami-matted floor in the lotus position, shaken her hair from her face, and was watching the lesson with rapt attention.

Kimiko-sama, Kinbaku teacher supreme, took a step back.  Her smile had never gone away, even when she was concentrating on crafting the rope matrix now binding Sam's upper-body.

Sam gave the ropes a halfhearted squirming test, then looked at Danica, raised an eyebrow, and silently mouthed the question: "Courtesy Struggle?"  Danica nodded, so Sam nodded back and began squirming and struggling in earnest.  Her efforts were enthusiastic... and totally ineffectual.

"Enough," Kimiko said after perhaps 30 seconds, then pointed to the mat beside Danica.  "Sit and watch."  She then smiled at Danica and curled her right index finger in a beckoning gesture.

The redhead and blonde exchanged positions.  That is, Sam padded to Danica's side and settled into a lotus of her own... while Danica gracefully stood and padded to Kimiko-sama.

The naked blonde stood perfectly still as Kimiko untied and removed the box-tie crafted by Sam... then replaced it with a box-tie Sam strongly suspected was identical to the first half of the pattern currently binding her own upper body.  Kimiko then selected a second coil and completed the second half of the matrix.

As far as she could tell, Danica's new predicament was, indeed, identical to her own in every way.  Also, not counting the initial un-binding, it had taken the same amount of time to complete, appeared to be equally uniform in tension, and was just as inescapable.  Sam was impressed, and knew it would take a lot of study and practice before she could replicate Kimiko-sama's rigging with confidence.

The lesson continued as Kimiko used more rope to wrap what was more-or-less a rope corset-belt around Danica's waist... then added a harness through the blonde's crotch and around her upper thighs.  Doubled strands framed but didn't cleave either her labia or her butt-crack.  More rope was used to bind Danica's legs together in a diamond-hitch pattern from her thighs to her ankles.  Also, all the different bondage elements were interconnected, including the box-tie.

Kimiko-sama then helped her flaxen-haired student/demonstration-dummy down to the floor, lifted her upper-body onto her lap with both of them facing Sam, who was watching with somewhat widened green eyes and trying to ignore her pounding heart and the growing urge to sweat.  Next, smiling (of course), Kimiko produced a white, folded cloth from somewhere inside her robe, shook it out, and began stuffing it into Danica's mouth!  The blonde had just enough time to frown in displeasure, then was forced to concentrate on accommodating the volume of the oversized hankie being crammed between her lips and teeth and packing her mouth.  Kimiko took her time, making sure every nook and cranny of Danica's oral cavity was well-stuffed.  Then, as Danica watched with wide, pale-blue eyes, her cheeks bulging like a hoarding chipmunk, her teacher conjured a scarf (in a pretty dark blue and white print), folded it into a long, narrow bandage, tied an overhand knot in the middle, centered the knot over the stuffing where it protruded from between Danica's lips, cinched the scarf tight at the nape of her neck, then tied a flat square-knot.

Danica's fair hair was now trapped under the scarf-gag, but unfortunately for Danica (or fortunately for the cause of silence), Kimiko produced a second blue and white scarf, folded it into a wide bandage, and gave the helpless, naked blonde a tight over-the-mouth (OTM) gag.  Actually, it was a tight under-the-chin, over-the-mouth, and across-the-nose gag.  Very Japanese and appropriate (in Sam's semi-culturally educated opinion).

Meanwhile, Kimiko had eased the naked, thoroughly bound, and well-gagged Danica off her lap and onto the mat, shuffled on her knees to Sam, reached for more rope, and was proceeding to expand the ginger's bondage in exactly the same manner she had bound Danica.

Blue eyes wide above her compound gag, Danica watched the show.  She was very interested... and helpless... and gagged.

Sam watched (and felt) the ropes tighten around her waist, through her crotch (also without cleaving her butt or pussy), and around her legs, all the way down to her ankles.  She was thinking about saying something, but what?  It was far too late to object to getting roped into her first lesson with Kimiko-sama (pun intended), it would obviously be bad form to whine or complain, and who knew what unpleasantness Kimiko would add to the lesson plan if her new student turned petulant and ticked her off.

Anyway, next thing she knew, Sam was lying on the matted floor a few feet from Danica, and Sensi was pulling her onto her lap.  She knew what was coming next (probably) and the prospect of being gagged as thoroughly and effectively as the over-stuffed DP wasn't helping her control her heart rate.  And then, it happened!  Kimiko-sama (smiling serenely) reached into her robe/kimono and produced... a standard ventilated ball-gag!

Sam didn't know whether to be apprehensive or relieved.  Actually, she was both.  She didn't want to be gagged in any manner, but a ball-gag (especially one with a hollow-mouth-plug with holes to allow mouth-breathing) was better then having her oral cavity packed with compacted cloth held in place by a knotted cleave-gag and an over-the-mouth gag, especially with everything cinched as tight as Danica's gag-system.

"Uh, S-sensi?  If you gag me I won't be able to ask questions," Sam noted (respectfully), but she did open her mouth when the ball nudged her lips.  She "allowed" herself to be gagged.

"I expect my students to be inquisitive," Kimiko purred as she buckled the ball-gag (tight enough to make Sam's freckled cheeks bulge) at the nape of her neck, "but hold your questions until the lesson is over.  I'm sure The Princess will be able to answer most of them."  She focused on Danica.  "You are to indulge Samantha's curiosity, aid her understanding of my expectations, and expedite her progress to the best of your ability.  Do you understand?"

Danica blinked her blue eyes, twice, then nodded her well-gagged head.  (Sam thought it was very cute.)

"Very well," Kimiko said, then eased Sam off her lap, gracefully stood, and glided from the room.

Sam and Danica watched their Beloved Sensi depart... exchanged a gagged look... blinked... and sighed.

Kimiko-sama returned in less than a minute, made a bee-line for Danica, stooped, lifted the naked, bound, and gagged blonde into her obviously strong arms, then carried her from the room.  Danica looked back at Sam as she was carried away... then Sensi and her senior student were gone and Sam (the junior student) was alone.

Sam wiggled, squirmed, rolled on the floor, and willed herself not to drool all over Kimiko's tatami mat.  Both her "escape attempts" and saliva control efforts met with severely limited success... meaning no success.  Through the window-wall she watched as miscellaneous songbirds flitted across the gardens.  None seemed to be aware of Sam's predicament and there was no perceptible effort underway to mount a winged rescue.  You would have done it for Sleeping Beauty, Sam silently groused.  And you'd probably do it for DP... if she was still here.

Something like four or five minutes passed (without avian intervention)... then Kimiko returned, lifted Sam into her arms as she had Danica, and carried the naked, bound, and ball-gagged redhead away.

Their destination was also Kimiko's bedroom.  Aside from a neatly made platform bed and a handful of exquisitely tasteful low-key furniture, objets d'art, and framed prints aesthetically scattered around the space, the decor was nearly as spartan as in the outer room.  There were more of the ubiquitous shoji screens, as well as another window-wall with a view of the garden (and the oblivious birds).  A shoji screen on the right had been pulled back, and Sam noticed two things as she was carried in its direction:

(1)  The screen was not a traditional paper and wood affair, but a thick, heavy-duty sliding glass door camouflaged on the bedroom side to be indistinguishable from a genuine shoji screen.  The interior surface was thick, translucent glass set in a hefty bronze-tone frame.  The space beyond was shallow and long, more or less a traditional clothes closet; however, it lacked the usual horizontal wooden rod set at the appropriate height for the hanging of clothes.  But speaking of hanging...

(2)  A heavy, horizontal wooden beam about seven feet overhead ran the length of the "closet," standing under the beam was Danica, and a neat vertical bundle of rope was cinched through her bonds, passed over the beam, and were making very sure she stayed there.

Sensi planted Sam's bare feet on the hardwood floor about two feet to the left of Danica, then unraveled a long coil of hemp rope and used it make sure she remained there.  That is, she tied one end of the rope through the nexus of Sam's box-tie bonds, tossed it up and over the overhead beam, passed it through the nexus again, back up and over the beam, back down to the nexus, lather rinse repeat.  Sensi included the ropes yoking Sam's shoulders just below her neck, the corset-belt-crotch-harness, and Sam's leg-bonds just above her lashed-together-knees in the back.  Finally, Kimiko wrapped the remaining rope around itself several times, behind and above Sam's head... then tied a final redundant and elegant knot.

The final result was Sam standing on her toes and the balls of her feet with the vertical ropes supporting her weight evenly at several points, just like Danica.  Exactly like Danica.  The rigging process had taken only a few minutes and gave Sam ample opportunity to compare what was happening to her to what had already happened to DP.  Their predicaments did, indeed appear to be completely identical, right down to the final knot, and just like all the rest of their bondage (except for their gags).

Sam squirmed in her bonds, testing her/their situation.  The tension of her bonds was unchanged, as far as she could tell, and all of the vertical attachments seemed to be carrying equal shares of the majority of her weight, all but that fraction not supported by her toes and the balls of her feet.  It was impressive, more evidence of Kimiko's supreme mastery of the art of rigging (as if any was needed).

Meanwhile, Kimiko-sama had gracefully shuffled to a position about two feet in front of the open screen/glass-door and equidistant from her naked, bound, gagged, and slightly-suspended students.  Her arms were folded under her breasts and her hands tucked into her silky sleeves.  Her smile was the very definition of serenity.  Sam thought she looked very Japanese... as well as exquisitely beautiful.

Kimiko-sama focused on Sam.  "For the remainder of the lesson," she intoned, "I expect you to examine all aspects of your predicament in complete detail.  Struggle as you feel the need, but take careful note of the placement of all of your bindings, their tightness, the way some interact to enforce uniformity of style and pressure, while others are merely aesthetic.  You are helpless, but how are you helpless?  Rely on your proprioceptive sense, but also test the tightness, or lack thereof, of the individual elements, to the best of your ability."

Sam stared at her Sensi (and saliva dripped from her chin and onto her chest)  Proprio-what? she silently inquired.  Guess I'll have to look it up later... if I remember.  'Pro-pri-o-cep-tive.'

Meanwhile, Kimiko had shifted her smile to Danica.  "You will serve as Samantha's visual aid.  As she wiggles and squirms, you will mimic her actions, allowing her to correlate her feelings with the behavior of the corresponding ropes binding your body."  She focused on both students, looking from one to the other.  "Do you understand your assignments?"

Sam and Danica exchanged gagged looks... then nodded to their smiling teacher and taskmaster.

"Good, and don't worry about the darkness," Kimiko purred.  "Your eyes will adjust."  And with that final assertion, she closed the shoji-screen/glass-door.  Rumble-rumble-rumble-thud. Click.

Sam and Danica were now in near-darkness... which became semi-darkness... which became gloom.  There was light penetrating the thick glass, but not much.  Sam assumed the final click had been Kimiko engaging some sort of latch, possibly even a lock.  Whether or not a traditional Nordberg Mansion barrel-lock was involved she had no idea.

Anyway... Sam and her fellow student (and identically bound and semi-suspended teaching aid) were alone... and sealed in a closet-shaped prison with a softly glowing glass door.  Sam decided to wait a few minutes before beginning her assignment of fidgeting and leering at Danica as she mimicked her struggles.  Sam hung/stood in her amazing bonds and took a breather.  She suspected she'd have plenty of time to explore and examine the full details Sensi's bondage masterpiece... and for Danica to help.

As it turned out, Sam and Danica did have plenty of time to carry out their Sensi's assignment... something like three hours... or maybe a little less.  Anyway, it felt like three hours to Sam.  During the process she came to three general conclusions:

1.  The aesthetic aspect of The Game was nothing to be sneezed at.  There was a grace and symmetry to the placement of their bonds and the visual and sensual uniformity of their captivity.  Everything was both functional and...  Sam wasn't ready to express the concept she was trying to form.  She'd have to give it more thought (and Sensi and DP needed to teach her more).

2.  Kimiko was giving them plenty of time (too much time) for Sam to complete her assignment (and for Danica to help), but that was okay.  Much to her surprise, as time slowly passed in their gloomy, closet-like prison, her bonds didn't chafe and rub, her muscles didn't grow sore and complain, and the urge to stretch and find something approaching comfort wasn't becoming unbearable.  Go figure.  Obviously, there was a hidden art to this advanced bondage stuff.

3.  Danica was very beautiful, especially when naked, tied up, and well-gagged... and she was right there!  Sam very much wanted to expand her understanding of Sensi's bondage composition by running her hands over Danica's helpless body, passing over every strand, hitch, and knot of conditioned hemp, as well as every available square inch of her fellow student's smooth, firm, fair-complected skin as it bulged (just a little) between Kimiko's ropes.  She resolved to find excuses to visit the youngest Nordberg's bedroom after dark... for extra study.

Suddenly, Sam and Danica perked up.  They could hear voices on the far side of the softly glowing glass-door/screen!  There was a click, then the door in question slid open.  Rumble-rumble-rumble.

Sam and Danica blinked in the sudden light as their eyes adjusted... and found themselves staring at the smiling forms of Nora and Kimiko.  Both of the "old ladies' were wearing string bikinis (!!!), and their heads were wrapped in towel-turbans, probably to dry their hair.  It was a reasonable assumption the pair (meaning the not bound and gagged pair) had recently enjoyed a swim in the mansion's indoor pool.  Anyway, otherwise, the oldsters were nude.  The Nordberg matriarch's bikini (what there was of it) was a very pretty shade of dusky lavender, while Sensi's bikini was a deep mulberry-red.  Both ladies were in exquisite physical condition with graceful, feminine curves, but this was hardly news to Sam.  She was now a veteran of many sessions of group yoga and tai chi, as well as the occasional group swim in the pool.

"There, you see," Kimiko said, gesturing at Sam... especially the blinking ginger's breasts as they bulged between the horizontal and diagonal ropes of her box-tie bonds.  "They're just fine, like I told you."

"It doesn't hurt to be sure," Nora purred.

It was then that Sam noted the small tube of lotion in Nora's right hand.  Smiling sweetly, the gorgeous, nearly naked matriarch popped the tube's snap-cap, squeezed a dollop of white creme onto her left palm, restored the cap and tucked the tube between the cups of her bikini-top, then rubbed her hands together.  And then, she ruthlessly moisturized Sam's boobs!  Both of them!  Completely!  In gentle, complete detail, and smiling the entire time!

Sam shivered in her bonds and had no choice but to stoically endure this blatant act of... skincare.

Actually, her boobs had been just fine (not counting the pressure of the tight hemp strands framing and ever-so-slightly constricting their volume).  They certainly weren't even remotely sunburned.  The pre-bondage tai chi session hadn't been that long.  Anyway, there was nothing she could do about it... meaning Nora's slippery, gliding, caressing hands.  And truth-be-told, the lotion was... soothing.

Kimiko watched with her usual serene, enigmatic smile as the oily-boob-massage happened.  Then, Kimiko and Sam watched as Nora replenished the lotion on her glistening hands and moisturized her daughter's breasts!

"Mrrrm," Danica complained through her compound stuffing-cleave-OTM gag, glaring at her maternal unit, but her objections were ignored.

"There," Nora sighed, then spun on her bare heels and padded away.

"Continue your assignment," Kimiko-sama intoned, then slid the glass-door closed.  Rumble-rumble-rumble-thud.  Click.

And that was that.

The only change was the addition of a pleasant floral bouquet to the students' semi-dark prison... as well as a possible residual tingle to their shiny boobs.  Actually, Sam's boobs were definitely tingling, just a little, and her nipples were standing at attention... but as her eyes re-adapted to the gloom she could see that Danica's nips were not.  They were more-or-less flat.

Understandable, Sam supposed.  Maternal boob massage is hardly the same thing as non-maternal boob massage... and Nora is hot... for an old lady.

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Chapter 8

Chapter 10

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