Comfortable Formality

In all Master/slave pairings, there is an expected (though varied) amount of formality expected of a girl to her Master. It's only proper, given the relative status and responsibility a Master has to his girl. He provides for and protects his property, sees to it that her needs are met, any on-going training there may be to manage. The girl, after all, is owned by the man. He is not an equal, but a superior. So the girl should, no, is obligated to be deferential and respectful to him. Most of the girls shayla knows have a great desire to show their Master the level of respect they have for him.

Certain positions to be assumed around the Master's presence, mode of speech, how the Master wishes her to position herself while speaking to him or receiving instruction. Shayla's Master, in many cases, wishes her to be either kneeling or on her belly while she is speaking to him. The head to the floor when Master enters is another example of how he wishes her to position herself. The 3rd person speech is a great help to shayla, as it reminds her with each sentence of hers what she is in relation to her Master. It has restrained her from a great deal of her Master's displeasure of her habit of teasing (something she is still working on). Though, at 3 months, shayla is still quite new to her service. It could very well be that in a year she would not need such a tool to remind her to be deferential. For now, at this stage of shayla's training, there is a great deal that she must continually keep at the forefront of thought. Her focus on keeping in mind all that her Master has dictated so far, integrating it into habit so that it is second nature, occasionally causes her to be more formal, less relaxed, than what she could be.

What is common and accepted in many vanilla relationships is discouraged or taboo in a Master/slave relationship. Look at any vanilla relationship and you'll see a great deal of banter on each side's part. The occasional practical joke, good-natured name-calling or back-talk. None of which is motivated from dis-respect or intended rudeness. More along the lines of a type of play between two people who are comfortable and confident in their intimacy with each other. In a vanilla relationship, it's harmless and displays the closeness the two have.

A slave does not have that right to behave in such a manner to her Master, though. Shayla made a similar mistake. Master had commented that a certain thing drove him crazy, and shayla replied, "well, at least it's not a long trip". Master and shayla had been joking and laughing with each other the previous moment, and in an instant upon that statement her Master's whole demeanor changed. Insolent, disrepectful, and unworthy of a slave. A friend of shayla's once said 'there's no backspace key in the living room.' Truer words were never said. The whole recollection of her error and the correction given to her still brings a chill of dread down her spine, weeks later. Master knew her action did not stem from a desire to be insolent, but out of playfulness. It was still far out of line, though.

A girl needs to find a balance between being respectfully formal with her Master, while still being herself and relaxed. Shayla's Master seems to enjoy her playful, creative side. So at the same time she is making an effort to be properly respectful, she is also learning the ways in which she can let that part of her come out, while displaying a level of formality. It's something that shayla strives for continually, this balance. Sometimes she succeeds, sometimes not, though she seems to be improving. It's another way of growth in her Master's service.

shayla