Wolfe took a few moments to reply, seeming to struggle for a moment. When he spoke, there was a slight tremor in his voice. I supposed my words had struck a chord with him. Perhaps hit a bit close to home.

"... Beyond what you've said, the only thing I could possibly add is that she'll probably expect you to still be at least a little defiant, while mostly broken and demoralized,"

To this I nodded. Some defiance was expected, of course. I'd have to balance the act well... play the part of someone close, but not past, the edge of giving up entirely. It would be expected that I wouldn't be keeping an eye open for a chance to escape... for now. He wouldn't have had time to truly break me.

Wolfe became suddenly timid, looking down at the floor as he spoke. "I must also beg of you to script our performance..."

I was not entirely surprised by his request. Wolfe's earlier mentions of his mistress had painted her as an imposing figure. Fooling her would be a challenge.

"Thats's a good idea. If we were both improvising, it would be hard to sell it. We should decide what you'll tell her. And what, if anything, I might need to say to her. She may also demand some proof that you have things in hand. We should prepare for such an eventuality as well..."

My mind was already travelling forward. I was back in familiar territory. This I knew how to deal with. Wolfe's concern was valid. Improvising was not easy. Though there were ways around that.

"I have an idea, if you're willing. Rather than decide what lies you'll tell your mistress... we could make them half truths. All we have to do is practice our roles ahead of time."

"Let's say you tracked me down on Cholganna. You told me to surrender, I refused and attacked you. We fought and you knocked me out in the end. You can tell your mistress I was not very skilled. I didnt begin my force training until after I was an adult... it's technically true. I don't know nearly as much as I could had I been brought to the Temple as a child..." I realized I was getting off track.

"After you beat me, you brought me back to your ship and put me in a cell. We could practice from there. I'd wake up, you'd make your offer, I'd accept.... That way you don't have to lie about how I became 'yours', per say, since technically what you will say happened, did happen. It will also be s good way to get a feel for your own act, and get used to mine," I finished. I'd of course try and persuade him to release me from the cell, and play the good, obedient girl while looking for an opportunity to gain the advantage. He'd catch me at it, prompting him to toss me back in the cell and giving him plenty of material to draw on for his conversation with his mistress.

"We should do it soon, though. Your Mistress could check in any day. You could pretend to not have caught me yet, but that will probably only work once."