It’s been a week since my last diary post, my apologies. Master Levi came home from the office with a sniffle and cough, coughed a few times in the bedroom where I was working. Within 48 hours, I was coughing and sniffling too. 

I am mostly over it by now, I think, but cold drinks still sap my breath, and my sinuses are still rather inflamed. I’ve been drinking warm tea in abundance, sweetened black masala chai particularly.

I’m pleased to say that everything that was between Valkyries and I has long been settled. We had one more confusion since, and that also got resolved without incident. There’s no conflict between us, just occasional misunderstandings and clarifications.

There’s a sigh of relief in me here: finally. 

In fact, things are going so well between us that this week, I even admitted that I was developing feelings for him. In a roundabout way, Valkyries said that they were reciprocated. No guessing games here then, I know exactly where I stand with this man. 

I did think the other day that a trip to We The Curious – Bristol’s science centre – might well be in our future, and there are several reasons for that: for a start, we’re both nerds, and a science centre just screams “date idea for nerds.”

Secondly, it’s where I took all of my prospective boyfriends in the past, and there are four good reasons for that:

 A) It was affordable – as a disabled person with mobility and balance issues I used to be able to/can take a free personal assistant, as long as they understood that their free ticket means they were/are responsible for making sure I didn’t/don’t go crashing into any of the exhibits while I’m there. How dare I be a cheap date? 😉

B) it’s fun, which means it’s a great place to see if you can have fun together 

C) Some exhibits require communication. What better way to test those skills? 

D) Some of the exhibits require teamwork more broadly. If you can’t work as a team in a science centre, where can you work as a team? 

So it’s kind of a test, but of compatibility, rather than the man himself. 

Plus, it’s a science centre! You literally do tests in science! Early dates are nothing more than tests of compatibility anyway, and I’m prepared to die on that hill. 

I do think we’ll avoid the sex and pregnancy section if it’s still there though, not because Valkyries is immature about sex but because he doesn’t need a reason to turn my mind into a wanton ball of desire that could get us both thrown out of the place. We’ll also bypass the exhibit that uses a blindfold to demonstrate how the mind can distinguish sides, even when the eyes can’t see: the founder of Kinky Fuckery Science does not need a reason to do his Kinky Fuckery Science in public.

But also I suppose it’s fair: if he wants to test me, then it’s only fair I get to test him too 😉

I did think too about the circular platform that sits about three quarters of the way up the staircase between the floors, and has a great viewpoint for looking across the centre. It wouldn’t be awkward being next to him there though, or if my gut feeling is right then it shouldn’t be. It’ll be like a Queen standing next to her King, overlooking their Kingdom. 

Valkyries did say in the aftermath of what was that he had been exercising restraint, but after I teased him (it was general group banter, but okay), the gloves were coming off. Suffice to say they did come off, and we were soon back to doing what we know and love. 

But whilst some battles are purely hypothetical, there is a new one that is very real. 

As is pretty normal globally right now, this week, Master Levi and I have been discussing the latest developments in Iran. Master points out some of the civilian structures that have been destroyed, says it’s a sign of a reckless leader (Trump).

I’m not for Trump, but I’m not against him, either. He’s a businessman, and business people like him understand three important things: strategy, negotiations and deals. 

He did try to negotiate with Iran first, and if my memory serves, Barack Obama tried, too. 

Nobody likes war, but sometimes, war is a necessary evil. 

Still, I need Master to understand that, unfortunately in war, civilian life is often collateral to military objectives. It’s literally why evacuation orders are a thing. 

So I draw an X on a piece of paper, and I draw four small circles at close-ish distances around it. I label them H,S,C and F – hospital, school, church and family homes. 

I cut a circle out of another piece of paper, big enough that it’s impossible to hit the X without hitting one of the small circles, but not so big that it takes up the whole area. That’s kind of nuclear territory, and most war planners know that rapid escalation is not how wars are won.

I draw another X in the centre of the circle, then I place both pieces of paper in front of him. 

“Right, you’re a war planner for the next five minutes,” I say. “The target is the X, that’s an enemy communication centre and we need to take it out to stall their advance.” I explain what the surrounding circles represent as well.

”Here is your bomb” I continue, pointing to the circle of paper, “the X is targeting, the circle is the error margin.”

“Your task is simple: hit the command centre without hitting any of the civilian structures.”

Master nods, makes a few attempts, realises that it can’t be done. 

“It’s impossible” he concedes. I nod. 

“So you see? It’s not that militaries aim for innocents – that’s kind of a lesson from wars gone by that tends to make things worse – but innocent lives are sadly often lost in battle. However, countries and political opponents alike use that information to manipulate public audiences. A little thing called the rally-around-the-flag effect,” I wink. 

Also Thursday, the neighbour popped down after our landlord finally fixed the leak in his bathroom. Predictably he starts talking girlfriends, so I started waxing lyrical about competent men like Master Levi and Mister Valkyries.

“So a bit like me then” he interjects. 

“Well, yes, but you’re even younger than my younger brother” I giggle, as though the very thought of us dating is silly.

“Besides, you’ve said it yourself before, I’m not your type anyway. We’re just friends, and that’s completely fine by me!”

He doesn’t have anything more to say. 

Friday, Valkyries challenged me to a show of dominance after I gave him some of my fire. Far from bringing a show of force, though, I went full 1983’s Wargames on him: the only winning move is to refuse to play. 

That descended into a Risk-style roleplay with armadas, and Valkyries launching an unprovoked attack on Australia. He suggested my ships were outnumbered, and I suggested some of my ships had been painted to look like his ships, and were poised ready to attack at a moment’s notice. He “spanked” me anyway, so I asked him to slow down my spanking because I wanted the spanks to match the sound of his ships being blown out of the water. 

He didn’t get attitude, he got me. 

It ended with him kidnapping the Queen (yours truly) and wanting to negotiate peace somewhere safer. I pointed out that, historically speaking, kidnapping important figures is not generally how wars end and in fact, only tends to make things worse. An angry people and a power vacuum, that’s exactly how terrorist cells form. 

Honestly, not bad for a strategist. It’s why we don’t rush into battle without one, Sir 😉 

Granted I did end up pushing for peace anyway after Valkyries hinted at a different kind of force. One that leaves a girl breathless, tired, and with knees that have been turned into jelly.

The perhaps funny part of all this was that Friday night I was in bed, feeling somewhat deathly but all the while quite proud of myself. I had surely given Mr Risk something to think about, and I was proud of myself for that.

Master Levi comes home from work, joins me in bed for a chat. 

Talk we did, until he too escalated. 

What made me laugh was that, up until this point, Master had no knowledge of the hell that I’d been giving Valkyries – he had no reason to punish me, torture me, or do any of the things that these Dominant kind like to do. Yet, as he kept me pinned down and dancing blissfully on the edge of my orgasm, I realised that sometimes Dominants don’t need one. 

Saturday morning, I almost gave Valkyries another reason.

I’d seen a YouTube short with a captioned clip from 2015 Disney movie Strange Magic – the creator had said that it showed what it’s like when someone manages to lower your defences. In it, the villainous Bog King has captured the sister (Dawn) of the main protagonist, Marianne. Dawn had accidentally been sprayed with a love potion and had now fallen for him. 

In the clip, Dawn nicknames the Bog King “my sweet boggy woggy kingy wingy” and after sending the clip to Valkyries, I vowed that the name – or a version thereof – would stick. He’s likely to at least be named “my sweet kingy wingy” from here to eternity, though I hold no guarantees, and he could yet be tarnished with the full ordeal. 

I will also be giving Strange Magic a watch. I see a lot of similarities between myself and Marianne, and perhaps some similarities between the Bog King and the King of the Seas himself.

It does remind me a little of when I found out that Master Levi’s gamertag includes the name “Nightwolf”.

Instead of being disparaging about it,  I said “Nightwolf? Cute! I’ll call you Wolfie.”

Since then, he’s been “Mister Wolfie” to me, particularly when I’m after something, or if I want to cute my way out of trouble. 

So on that note, my sweet Valkyries, if you have a gamertag that can be made adorable, I suggest you rethink it, and before your bravado is the next thing I sink 😉