The door in front of the Whumper pushes open, revealing a room brighter than the dark hallway. The other Whumper steps in then turns and holds it open graciously, nodding at their counterpart to enter. The first Whumper walks in slowly. There’s not much to see except the square walls, massive undressed window letting in the late afternoon sun, and of course the Whumpee who is sat on a wooden chair in the centre of the room. “Happy promotion day,” the second Whumper says as they gingerly shut the door with them all in the room. The first Whumper walks around the back of the Whumpee, recognizing them immediately but still soaking it in like a first impression. The Whumpee seems barely there, awake enough to hold themselves upright but not making eye contact. “Docile,” the first Whumper observes. “Especially for a fresh catch.” The second Whumper folds their hands behind their head and stretches. “What can I say?” they say, then drop their hands with a shrug. “I guess I’m persuasive.” The first Whumper looks the Whumpee over. The Whumper breathes in and savours a mounting feeling of power - that they’d been given over this person, that it was against every rule to have them, and that they were the one in control. They look back to the second Whumper and acknowledge the gift, “You shouldn’t have”, then they let the weight of the words echo in their own head. “You really shouldn’t have,” they say again with a smile.














