"Did you want to get dressed here?" he asked. "It might be easier than doing it at the club."
Dawn paused, then nodded. "Makes sense," she said, sounding more certain than she felt. "It will be easier to slip into while I'm still a little slick from the massage oil."
Kai leant down and kissed her on the temple. She gasped his hand with hers, fingers interlaced together, then held on as he helped her up into a sitting position. He smiled at her, that quiet, confident smile and for a moment the stirring butterflies in her stomach went still.
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When Dawn dreamt, she dreamed of flying.
They weren't always good dreams. Sometimes, the sparkling light before her wasn't the sun reflecting up from the water beneath her, but instead floated before her vision in slow motion, like dancing crystals suspended in sunlight at the moment of weightlessness before gravity had a chance to snatch at them. This didn't make the dreams bad dreams; so long as the crystals stayed there, frozen in the moment, nothing bad would happen at all.
These were the nothing dreams, where she just hung there forever, suspended in midair, watching as the dancing crystals of light turned over and over, neither rising or falling. They didn't bother her, not so long as gravity never caught up and the crystals never started to fall.
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Dawn slowly opened her eyes to gaze through the rear passenger window of the car. The sky had changed from a rich crimson to a deep purple, but had not yet taken on the dark tones of night. Kai was driving, focused on the road and listening to an inoffensive dance/rock playlist. She usually found it difficult to relax on prolonged car journeys, notwithstanding the increasing anxiety she would normally experience building towards this evening's activities, but something about Kai's presence and the earlier massage had enabled her to drift into a light sleep. The massage had been Kai's suggestion, wanting to make the evening a special night, but also knowing that she would be much more comfortable throughout the evening if she started in a slightly relaxed state. In the periphery of her awareness she was also conscious of the outfit she wore under her coat, the enveloping pressure applied taut and evenly over body like a constant gentle embrace. The more at ease she felt, the better this evening would be, and so she passed the remaining journey staring out the window watching the day's last light beyond the confines of her current conveyance.
Her view of the sky became increasingly obstructed the closer they got to their destination, as the buildings and storefronts grew taller and larger the further they travelled into the city. Eventually they reached the allocated parking spots at the rear of the club and Kai pulled in. She gathered herself as she regarded the tall brownstone and metal doors of the club while he got out to open her door and help her down onto the sidewalk.
They had first come here almost a year ago in the midst of rebuilding her life, working out who she was in the aftermath of diving being lost to her, all the things she could and couldn't now do in the freedoms and constraints of her new reality. The dreams had been bad then, but Kai had been her rock and pushed her to explore the possibilities that she never had time for during competition. It was on that basis she had brought them here, to the Lost and Found. It spoke to something she had always had a vague curiosity towards but never indulged, but it was the name that had caught her attention and made up her mind. She was keenly aware of having lost who she was, and very much wanted to find who she was now. It was a journey she was still undertaking, but some of the first meaningful steps had happened here, inside this building.
Kai sent a message to let the staff know they were here, and one of them - Estelle? - opened the rear entrance door for them, a small accommodation reserved for special friends and guests who might need to avoid using the front entrance for whatever reason. Dawn thought of their time here in this place as they passed through the back corridor to the main lounge, presumably for the last time.
There was so much that could have gone wrong that first night. They had no real idea of what they were doing or what they were after, but they had chosen wisely with the Lost and Found. They had been nervous at first, but the people they talked to had been generous and accepting. Curiosity was the reason so many first came to the Lost and Found, after all. They were given the name of someone to talk to, and had met her late in the night. The woman was tall, beautiful, and graceful in a way that reminded Dawn of classic era Hollywood starlets; a few years older, but what struck Dawn most was the sense of her presence and personality. She had a way of making you feel simultaneously drawn in and yet also the only one in the room with her. She was intelligent and insightful, but also measured and considerate. Their talk had lasted well into the morning, and into the week beyond via email and messages with questions and reflections that had searched and challenged Dawn's own sense of self-identity. She had been able to extract more from Dawn in a few hours of honest, unguarded conversation than some therapists had managed in months of appointments, and though some of it had touched on raw subjects, Dawn had never felt like she was being asked more than she could give, and so somehow ended up sharing even more of herself than she knew. When they next returned to the club a month later the woman was waiting for them, and that night Dawn was exposed to the first of many experiences that challenged her mentally and physically, and they had only progressed from there. Dawn knew she was not the woman's only confidant, but she was a pet project of sorts, and that was enough to feel special and favoured, in a way.
There was a reasonable crowd in the main room of the Lost and Found, despite the early hour. More than a few regulars (as well as a few irregulars) had come to see the club off on its final night, and the scene was set for the festivities. The theme was Mad Hatter's Tea Party, and a long central table was piled high with teapots, cakes, and cups. The rest of the room bore similarly themed decorations, and many of the crowd were done up as one or other of the inhabitants of Wonderland; near the table a schoolgirl Alice in suspenders, miniskirt, and knee socks and little else was chatting happily with a young gentleman in a tabard pronouncing him the 9" of Clubs, while at the bar a dark-skinned man whose bare chest was covered in glitter and rainbow bodypaint was blowing coloured smoke from a prop pipe while ordering drinks. There was a male White Rabbit with waistcoat and pocket watch and a female White Rabbit with bunny ears and fur bandeau, and in one of the booths a mixed couples party of Hatter's and Alice's seemed to be playing a variation of a game with impenetrable rules where every few minutes all the Hatter's swapped hats and then Alice's would all change whose lap they were sitting in to match.
Elsewhere amongst the crowd some were wearing - or not wearing, as the case may be - their usual attire for the club with little care for the theme, from sharp suits and cocktail dresses through to leather pants and catsuits. It was, in short, only marginally less uninhibited than a standard event evening at the Lost and Found.
Kai and Dawn made their way to one of the quiet tables at the back near the booths and settled in; here and there they spotted familiar faces in the crowd and they nodded and smiled acknowledgements to those they had become friendly with. They had been coming to the club for a while now and had come to know and swap stories with several folks with whom they shared interests. A few came over to say a quick hello; they would have a chance to chat later, but for now they were mostly left undisturbed as most knew they would be waiting for Dawn's mistress.
They were nearing the end of their first cocktail when Dawn noticed her approaching across the floor. Her classical beauty was unmistakable, and her outfit turned heads as she glided across the room. Tonight she had dressed for the occasion in a style somewhat reminiscent of 18th century French aristocracy, if the French had discovered latex. Her platinum blonde hair had been pulled back and styled into elaborate twin french braids that ran along the sides of her head and down behind her ears. A high-collared shoulder cape sat open over a dark blue latex corset, her prominent bust lifted and enhanced by the supporting garment. A handheld folding fan was attached to her wrist by a thin orange cord, equally capable of being held up before her to mask what she might want hidden, or possibly to strike with should the moment require it. At her waist she wore a powder-blue open-fronted bustle, which framed the mid-thigh black latex boots she wore on her lithe legs. The effect the exposed skin thigh and chest had on the audience was noticeable, and the crowd parted for her as she passed with more than a few lingering stares to take in her striking presence.
Trailing behind her by a thin chain leash and choker was a young dark-haired woman in a sheer white romper which did little to hide the black ribboned bikini brief lingerie set worn beneath. Her feet were padlocked into crimson stiletto ankle boots which were linked together by a short chain, forcing the ingénue to take short, slightly tottering steps in the wake of the taller woman. Dark eyeliner highlighted her youth and innocence, and her lips were stained red with the juice of the lollipop sticking out of her mouth. She was soft and curvy in a way that emphasised her femininity.
Dawn cast her eyes down as the woman reached their table, and began greeting her mistress as practiced.
"M-"
"Non," the woman cut in, "tonight, I am Duchess, and will be addressed accordingly," she stated, allowing no room for reply. "And this," she said, indicating the young woman with her, "is Baby."
The young woman attempted a curtsey, as best she could with her feet hobbled as they were. Dawn couldn't help but notice that while her Lady's eyes were on her, Baby's focus was fixed on Kai.
