"Hmm. Well, you do look a bit pale, and you have this look in your eye."

"A look in my eye?"

"Yeah. Kinda distant, kinda 'not in Cloud Nine,' which is a change from recently."

"Oh." Jackson looks away.

Sadde keeps looking at Jackson.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Waiting to see if you'll tell me what's wrong of your own volition."

"And... you didn't tell him you don't like it, I presume."

"...Sort of?"

"Mmhm?"

"I did say I'd rather have the whip..."

"And he said...?"

"I don't remember..."

He raises an eyebrow.

"I don't, it was hard to pay attention, he might not have said anything, I don't even know for sure if I was making sense, I might have stuttered or something."

"What is this new toy?"

"Some electric thing, I didn't get a good look at it," Jackson mumbles. "So I'm fine. Didn't even leave a mark."

"Okay... And at the risk of sounding like a broken record, why don't you ask him not to use it the next time you two are together, before he uses it?"

"There's not really a good time to do it, it usually all - goes kind of fast?"

Blink. "Do you not... like... do stuff that's not sex?"

Blink. "What counts as not sex?"

"Dates, conversation, cuddling, sleeping together, watching a movie, having dinner..."

"Sometimes I sleep over or eat there or there's a movie on."

"So... don't you like... talk? During those times?"