Subtle Things

"Gush, schwing, thump, ahh..."

Of all the classes I attended, choosing to take Midori's Best Kink Advice Nobody Told You was one of my favorites.

However, since it was a last minute decision, I did not occupy my normal front row seat. Instead I found myself in the back next to the aisle. I did not, though, find myself in the class alone.

"Do you want anything?" I thought and thought, with nothing coming to mind.

"I took too long, so no." Gray left, retrieving coffee for himself and Cherry_Doll, as well as water for Ummwhatever. He returned just in time for the start of class.

Midori began her lesson with a simple fact: ask any group of people what a "true dominant/submissive/masochist/sadist" is and you will get a whole host of answers. We each define these words according to our lives, experiences, and communities.

Instead of centering definitions around pain, Midori instead asked us to think about sensation. She proposed that a sadist is one who takes pleasure in causing intense sensations while a masochist is one who derives pleasure in experiencing intense sensations.

When thinking about dominance and submission, Midori suggested we think in terms of the redistribution of authority, hierarchy and control. She suggested that a dominant is one who experiences arousal when, on a temporary basis, power is redistributed giving them control. For a submissive, their arousal comes from giving up control.

As Midori imparted her knowledge (complete with a kinky sudoku chart), I kept biting my lip trying not to laugh. With Gray sitting right beside me, mild torments abounded.

"It's the subtle things I like."

First there was the introductory pen tip poke into my ribs, Gray's way of saying Good morning. Then there was the tap of his coffee cup against the bottom of my water bottle. Just a few errant drops slipped from my lips as I tried not to laugh or choke. Of course there were the many comments, pinging off of Midori's lesson.

But the climax came in one small word.

"Ash," he whispered. I sighed and swooned. "Really?"

Yes, really. Just the night before I had eaten ash from multiple different hands, and I could still smell the smoke in my hair. So, yup, really.

To close her class, Midori talked about how people do not fit into one kinky sudoku box for a lifetime. Often we change, either because of the person, our mood, or the circumstances surrounding us.

She likened a person's predilections to a diner menu. Some items are available in the morning, in the evening, or all day. Others are daily or weekly specials.

"But for you, my friend, any substitution."