The auditorium was mostly quiet, except for the scratching of charcoal pencils and shuffling paper. Compared to the nearly identical temple I had awakened inside, this one was much more well-litâwith windows and mirrors on the window-sills. My new friend, Mystery, was still beside me, working away on their own questionnaire. Like everyone else, I took my own pencil and began to look at the questions.
Name?
Lilly Pond.
Species?
Human.
Gender (if applicable)?
Female.
Robe color of preference?
Pink.
So far, so goodâjust basic information. The second paragraph on the first page, however, was when things got a little ... different.
Dominant, Submissive, Both, or Neither During sexual activity?
My face burned red as I marked submissive. I mean, technically, I had never really been in that kind of relationship. But as far as what I fantasized about, it was definitely for someone else to be in control. The rest of the questions continued to ask about my kink preference. Did I like to show off naked for strangers? No ... but I wouldn't be closed off to the idea. Did I like to be tied up? Sometimes. Did I like being called degrading names? Yes. Did I like extreme pain? 100% not.
So it went for the next several pages, and I grew less embarrassed answering as I mundanely filled out a form like it was ordinary paperwork from a job interview. Or maybe it was more like a test in school. I had always been good at those ... never second-guessing my instinctual answers. It always struck me as odd that I was able to do that, since I had so little confidence when speaking to people. But academics were definitely a strength of mine, and I was at least aware of that fact. Just like in school, I went through the question swiftly, noting that I was turning pages before I could hear anyone else do so. The feeling was familiar and comforting, and I felt a bit less behind everyone else who had arrived so much earlier than me.
The last question, however, gave me pause. It was a bit different from the rest. It asked, "
Would you like to voluntarily sign up for surprise eventsâwhich take into account your preferences and limits as stated in this form? (Safewords will still apply, but some students find that the element of surprise enhances their enjoyment and their magical abilities)."
I thought about this for a moment. And though my better judgment said that this sounded like too much, there was no mistaking the sudden warmth I felt in my sex at the idea.
I marked "Yes" and then gave a signature. Upon the last pencil-stroke of signing my name, I felt a sharp painâas if I'd run my finger along the blade of a knife. I yelped and looked on in surprise as blood dripped from my finger, to my pencil, to the place where I was signing. It wasn't much, just a few drops. But still, it seemed a bit overly gothic.
I dropped the pencil that had somehow cut me and looked around the auditorium to see where a first-aid office might beâkeeping pressure on the wound. As I looked, however, I oddly felt no pain. I swallowed and nervously opened my hand to see that my finger was no longer bleeding at all. All I could see was a thin white line on my skin, which vanished entirely as I watched it.
Stunned and unsure of what had just happened, I returned my attention to the pencil and paperwork I dropped into my lap. Something odd was happening there too. Though only a little blood had spilled onto the page, it seemed to be growing. Slowly, it spread until it covered my signature, the text I had spent all that time filling out, and then the whole stack of papers.
Then it began to rise up over the charcoal pencil. Unlike the paper, however, the pencil began to bend and curl like melting plastic. Once a circle, the paper also began to morph and bendâwrapping around the morphed pencil and then compressing all together into something small and dense.
I continued watching with my jaw hanging open until there was nothing but a red ring. The ring began to shift and move ... until a polka-dot pattern emerged. The rest of the ring slowly seemed to settle and become less redâsettling when it reached a pastel pink that was about the same shade as my robe. Instinctively, I put the ring on my finger ... a perfect fit.
I looked over to Mystery and saw that they were about to sign.
"Wait," I whispered, not wanting them to be surprised by the pain. "The pencil is going to cut you and turn into a ring. It's fine but ... it kind of hurts."
Mystery giggled and showed me the text right beside their signature. "I know! Look, it says that the pencil will aid in a blood signature that will morph the paper and pencil into its utility form. Didn't you read the instructions?"
I felt a flush of embarrassment. Of course I had read the instructions; I always read instructions .... Except when they were a nine-point font and covering and entire wall. There had been no such warning on my paper. The last thing I remembered reading was the option of including surprises.
Surprises. I smacked my own forehead.
Over the next few minutes, the occasional human yelpedâfollowed by giggles from those around them. I guessed that these were others who had marked 'yes' to surprises. None of the guplium yelpedâwhich I guess made sense since they were second-years. Soon, there were no papers in sightâonly people with rings of various colors and patterns.