#p:ec

Jonah was finding that no matter how many exams he did, he still felt like he really had no idea what he was doing. Well, technically he had a really good idea, but he still didn't feel like he was doing this dominating thing right. Maybe it was just nerves or maybe he was still having trouble really grasping his rose, but Eoin was depending on him and he didn't want to let him down. "You ready, buddy?" He asked as they approached the doors. He was already feeling nervous, that wasn't a good sign, but for both their sakes he kept himself together. No need to show weakness in front of the headmistress, that was just asking for trouble. "Remember, I've got your back, okay." There was irony to be found there, but he didn't think Eoin would appreciate it until after the exam. Opening the doors he walked inside with Eoin until they reached Roselle. "Good afternoon, Headmistress." He greeted her like always, and waited for Eoin to do the same. Then he turned his attention to Eoin, best jump right in, they were on a clock. "Alright, I want you to repeat your safeword for me and take off all your clothes."

Eoin had been getting himself psyched up for his exam. Each time he tried his best, and each time he hoped for Best, but though he had been there well over a year it had never happened. Still, he tried just as hard each time. He smiled at Jonah as they met outside the room. "I'm ready," he said confidently. He knew that he might have a stronger grasp on his role than the other boy but that was alright with him; he had achieved a sort of calm in the last few months where he tried his best and then didn't worry a lot beyond that. "Thanks," he whispered as the other boy said he had his back. He dropped to his knees out of instinct when they entered, bowing his head before greeting Miss Roselle respectfully. "My safeword is avocado, sir," he remarked, before stripping quickly and efficiently, folding his clothes neatly but without wasting too much time.

Jonah was a bit thrown by how naturally this all came to Eoin, or at least how easy he made it seem. He knew his partner had been here a long time though, so he figured the guy was way more comfortable with what he was doing now, which was actually kind of a relief to Jonah, and even more motivation to do right by him. While Eoin got undressed Jonah started to get the equipment ready, then made sure the fire blanket and extinguisher was within easy reach. "Turn your back to me, I want you to hold your arms out to the side and stay incredibly still. We're going to do something called fire flogging. You'll feel the heat on your back, but as long as you don't move it wont burn you." He explained, taking the kevlar flogger in hand. It looked like a normal flogger save for instead of leather the tails were made of kevlar. "Are you ready?"

Eoin tried not to look as Jonah got things ready, but he couldn't help noticing something that looked like a....fire extinguisher? It sent a little shiver of fear down his spine. He had had a little fear of fire ever since he was little; he didn't know how it had started but to this day he was scared of lighting matches. He could light candles fine with a lighter--it wasn't a full blown fear of fire--but it definitely made him a little nervous....and a little excited. He always enjoyed being pushed to his limits. "Yes sir," he responded, holding his arms out like Jonah had said and staying still, trying not to tense up, eyes squeezed shut reflexively as he waited.

Jonah took a deep breath and positioned himself behind Eoin once he saw that the switch was ready. "You'll be fine, just stay calm, focus on your breathing and remember don't move." He'd been reiterating that a lot, but it was pretty important and he noticed the tension in Eoin's shoulders, granted that was understandable given what they were about to do. From his research he'd heard that if done right it was supposed to feel like he was being massaged by fire, Jonah supposed he'd find out if that was true or not soon. He'd already dipped the flogger in alcohol and wrung it out, so once he was sure that everything was ready he lit the tails and let it flame up. Her took a few swings through the air to get used to the motion, then slowly brought the flogger closer to Eoin's back so he could feel the heat of the flames as well.

Eoin swallowed deeply, holding himself in position, despite himself feeling a little bit of panic rising up in him as Jonah told him over and over again not to move. It was one thing to tell someone to stay calm, his mind cried, it was another thing to make them be calm. But Jonah's words helped a little, even so, and Eoin waited. The waiting was always the worst, not knowing if something would be harder or more painful than he could bear...his fingers clenched, his head dropped, and he started to feel calm, to enter a sort of subspace. Everything was going to be okay, as long as he submitted to his sir and did as he was told. He was told to stay still and calm and focus on his breathing. In, out, the breath went through him and his muscles relaxed, staying calmed even as the heat came closer to his back. It was an interesting sensation, he thought distantly.

Jonah got more comfortable with the weight and the movement of the flogger. Practicing with it felt much the same, but it was go time now. He was pretty pleased with how it was turning out, actually enjoying the way the tails cut through the air and how the fire seemed to dance along Eoin's back, just barely but enough. It was a delicate balance, but he kind of liked the challenge of it, and despite the nerves he'd seen from the switch he was happy to see how well he was handling it well. He continued to swing the flogger until the flames died down completely, then discarded that away safely. He wiped his hands off with a wet rag, then brought that to Eoin's back as well to clean off any residual just in case. It was also just a nice way to touch base with the switch again and physically comfort him. "You can lower your arms now. You did really well." He told him genuinely. "But now I've got another task for you to complete, and to start, your hands will be tied behind your back. Okay?" He explained, gently taking hold of Eoin's wrist and guiding them behind his back.

Eoin was amazed at how deeply he had sunk into subspace, staying absolutely still as the sensations of the fire washed over him. He has never felt anything quite like it, and while it was still a little frightening, he liked the way it felt, the way the warmth touched his back briefly and then was away. He was almost sorry that it was over as he felt the rag on his back, and he lowered his arms, in a little confusion, starting to come down, when Jonah said that he had another task for him. He let his hands be taken behind his back, just murmuring "yes, sir." He hoped the other task was one he could do as well with,

Jonah led Eoin to where he'd set up the task. "This is going to be a bit more challenging. I want you to go into it with an open mind and try to think outside the box with how you approach it." He told him as a quick introduction as he took a pair of handcuffs to bind Eoin's hands behind his back, then lowered him to his knees. In front of Eoin was a basket of glass balls and a seesaw type of balance. Jonah help up one of the balls for Eoin to see, it was clear with a red rose in the middle. "I want you to get the ball from this basket, over the seesaw, and into that other basket over there." He said pointing to the basket set a few yards away and positioned on its side. "Each ball has a rose inside of it, get one of each rose color into the basket and you're done. If you don't have any questions, then get started." It seemed like a random task, but Jonah had purpose for it, though he kept that to himself for now. Instead he focused on Eoin, knowing that just getting the ball out of the basket would be difficult for him already without the use of his hands.

Eoin nodded, trying to fight off the calm the fire whipping had given him and focus on this new task. He looked at the ball critically, heart sinking as Jonah explained the task. How was he ever going to manage this? They couldn't have that much time left, either, he thought, then forced himself to focus again. One step at a time, he reminded himself, crawling over to the basket of glass balls, first dipping his head and trying to pick one up with his mouth but gradually realizing they were too big. He finally, after a lot of maneuvering, got one with a red rose crushed between his elbow and his side, and awkwardly made his way over to the seesaw, setting it down on there before giving it a light tap with his nose. He was feeling pretty satisfied with himself, thinking how lucky he was that he had a dog to learn from. He kept thinking about how Balto pushed canned goods around, and the thought brought a smile to his face, which grew wider as the red rose ball went into the basket. He could do this, he thought confidently, and rushed back to the basket to try and get a blue rose one. Maybe he moved too quickly, or maybe he was over confident after his success with the first, but he no sooner had placed it on the seesaw than it fell off the side and shattered. He looked up at Jonah in dismay, not sure what to do now, and bowed his head. "I'm sorry sir..."

Jonah was impressed to see how Eoin faired with the first glass ball, he hadn't expected him to do that well. Again, one of the many ways he was exceeding his expectations during this exam. Though, as Eoin made an attempt with the second ball, he saw more of what he'd been expecting. Now that he wanted the switch to fail, but the task was designed that way for a reason. "It's okay." He told him, standing by the basket and looking down at the shattered glass. He left that there, a reminder to Eoin to be careful and to add to the difficulty of the challenge. "Keep going until you finish, and remember what I told you. There aren't any special rules to this, the task just needs to get done, it doesn't matter how."

Eoin nodded, biting his lip as he went back to the basket to fetch another blue ball. He felt a little better because Jonah hadn't been angry, but he was still a little thrown by his failure, and he began to think that he had just been lucky to do so well the first time. He forced himself to concentrate, but every time he thought he had the blue ball in his grasp, it managed to slide back into the basket. Finally after what seemed like an eternity he got it, painstakingly making his way over to the seesaw and rolling it down, waiting with baited breath. it went in, but he knew he had wasted a tremendous amount of time on that one and he still had the purple one left. Surely the exam was already almost over. He went back to the basket quickly, yelping as he brushed against a piece of the broken glass, unable to focus on avoiding it while he was so pressed for time.

Jonah had been keeping track of time, seeing how long he could wait out Eoin and wondering if this would actually work. It was worrying, but he was hoping the switch would finally pick up on his hints and figure out what he needed to do. As it was, watching him struggle was hard. He tried to keep his outward composure cool and calm for Eoin's sake, but it was painful to see how distressed he was getting. He knew he needed to be patient though, not one of his strong suits, and trust that Eoin would figure this out on his own. The task was near impossible in their given time and he could see how much panic it was causing Eoin. "Take a second and breathe. I'm here for you." He told the switch, holding his hand out to pet him and cup the side of his face. The cuts he'd deal with later, for now they needed to finish. "Think this through, what can you do to make this task manageable."

Eoin 's mind was screaming at him not to stop, that he had to go try and get a purple ball, that he couldn't waste any more time. But the touch to his face instantly calmed him a little, and he did as he was told, taking a deep shuddering breath. "I don't know, sir," he said, the panic still evident in his voice. He scooted away and back to the basket,struggling to pick up a purple ball. He finally got it, but no sooner had he extricated it from the basket than it dropped and shattered, and Eoin's eyes filled with tears. He knew they had to be almost done with the exam. He had failed. He looked over at Jonah, eyes streaming freely. "I'm so sorry, sir. I--I don't think I can do it." He hoped that his honesty, at least, might get him points. "Please help me, sir. I'm sorry. I don't know how to do it so fast

Jonah let his hand fall as Eoin moved away from him to struggle with the balls again. As much as Jonah admired his determination, his tunnel vision was a bit of a hindrance. They didn't have much time left and-- Jonah inwardly cringed at the sound of glass shattering again. Okay, maybe this time Eoin would finally understand. Looking down at the switch, he ran his thumb over the other's cheeks to wipe away the tears. "No, you can't do it, not on your own." He told him, feeling a small sense of relief when Eoin finally asked for help. "Sometimes the best way to finish something, is to be able to recognize when it's impossible to do it on your own." He told Eoin, continuing to pet the side of his face. Reaching into the basket he pulled out the purple ball, symbolic of Eoin's rose, and gently pushed it down the seesaw where it rolled easily across the floor. "And ask for help when you need it." He lifted Eoin's chin so he could look at him. "It's a hard thing to do but you need to be able to trust that the person who has your better interest in mind will be able to help you. Don't be so prideful or so insecure that you ignore that."

Eoin was cowering, feeling so ashamed and upset, but hoping that somehow Jonah would make it okay. For these fifteen minutes, Jonah was his sir, and that meant that he would take care of Eoin and make everything alright. Eoin didn't need to know anything but that, he reminded himself, and felt his shoulders relax slightly as Jonah touched his cheeks, eyes widening as his hopes were confirmed. He had done alright, he told himself, unable to stop crying. Sir was saying that it was alright that he couldn't finish on his own, that he could have help. He watched as the purple ball rolled easily across the seesaw and into its basket. "Thank you, sir," he breathed, looking into Jonah's eyes with real gratitude. "I do trust you, but it's hard to ask for help."

Jonah pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and used it to wipe Eoin's face dry. He gave the switch a smile and added, "I know it's hard, but you did it and I'm proud of you for that." He told him, moving behind him to undo the cuffs and release his hands. He checked over his wrist to make sure they were okay before moving back in front of Eoin. "You've been a good boy, and did really well. We're done here, now you can put on your clothes and thank the Headmistress for her time."

Eoin was relieved as his face was wiped dry, and he smiled at the other boy in return. He was exhausted, emotionally wrung out from the stress of thinking he couldn't finish the task and the trust he had put in Jonah. "Thank you sir," he whispered. "Should we clean up the balls I dropped sir?" he didn't know if they could leave a mess like that. He got up, carefully dressing in his clothes, before he knelt again in front of the headmistress. "Thank you for watching our exam, miss," he said respectfully.