"Hey..." Uni replied, her voice betraying her exhaustion as she was relieved to hear Trixie's voice. "What's up?”

  "Is this a bad time...?" Trixie asked.

  "No, no, it's alright," Uni replied, her voice still hoarse. "Just tired, that's all. So what's going on? Is Sarolta in the room with you?”

  There was a pause on the line, and Stephanie, Uni and Esther waited for a response from Trixie. The silence on the other end was somewhat unusual, causing them to exchange confused looks.

  "Nooo...Sarolta's out, actually," Trixie replied, her voice having an undertone that Uni couldn't quite put her finger on.

  "Oh, okay..." Uni replied, still confused by the strange tone in Trixie's voice. "So let's cut to the chase. Are you all right, seriously? What's with the whole ‘you being submissive to Sarolta’ thing? You were never like that, and then you just changed on us overnight... What's really going through your head, Trix? We're worried about you.”

  There was a slight pause before Trixie replied, her tone turning more serious. "It's...complicated.”

  Uni pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a hint of annoyance at the vague answer. "What do you mean 'it's complicated'?”

  There was another pause, and Stephanie and Esther both moved closer, intrigued by the conversation. It wasn't like Uni to get snippy, and the fact that she was right now was a clear sign of her exhaustion.

  "Look, it's...it's just not easy to explain, okay?" there was a slight hint of defensiveness in Trixie's tone.

  Uni let out a heavy sigh, frustration mixing with her exhaustion. "Try, please.”

  There was a moment of silence, and then soft sigh before Trixie replied. "You're not gonna like the explanation, to be honest…”

  Stephanie and Esther leaned closer, curiousity piqued, and Uni leaned back, her exhaustion now mixed with a slight concern.

  "Just...tell me, Trix. Whatever it is, just tell me." Uni sighed, trying to keep her tone calm and patient.

  There was another brief silence before Trixie finally spoke, her tone now solemn. "I...I made a deal with Sarolta.”

  Uni leaned forward, the last bits of patience leaving her. "A deal?" she repeated, unable to keep the irritation out of her voice.

  "Yeah...I did," Trixie's voice was quieter now, almost guilty.

  "But why? And what exactly did you get out of such a deal?" Uni asked, still confused.

  "I..." There was a moment of hesitation before Trixie sighed, and her tone turned resigned... "Well...I just know I disappointed Sarolta with taking Piper from the Meteor Corp HQ without her permission and not being there when she needed me...and if you should know one thing about me, it's that I hate disappointing my boss. So I agreed to let her...discipline me.”

  The room fell silent as the girls all stared, stunned. Uni's exhaustion was replaced by a mix of incredulity and concern.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  "But...we saw her calling you her 'puppy' and treating you like one, that's more than just discipline, don't you think...?" Uni finally managed to say, her voice a mixture of surprise and bewilderment.

  "Well...yeah, that comes with the territory... I agreed to make her happy with whatever she wants me to do..." There was a pause, and then Trixie muttered with a hint of defeat, "And she wants me to be her 'puppy'...”

  Unni leaned back, her head spinning with confusion. "But...why? Why would you even agree to something like that?" she finally managed to say, her voice now more than just puzzled. Her exhaustion now replaced with a mix of worry and disbelief.

  "Because I just couldn't say 'no' to her," Trixie replied weakly. "She was so angry and disappointed in me...I didn't know what else to do! So I agreed to make her happy...that's all...I don't want her unhappy…”

  Uni shook her head, her tiredness now completely replaced by complete befuddlement. "But...Trixie, that's insane... You're not a puppy, you're a human being with pride and dignity…”

  "I know, I know..." Trixie sighed heavily, her tone almost defeated. "But I just couldn't say no to her... I wanted to please her…”

  "But at what cost...?" Stephanie piped up, her worry now obvious.

  "Don't you realise how degrading this is...?" Uni now said, her voice still holding shock and disbelief, with just a touch of anger.

  "I..." Trixie was silent for a moment, seeming to struggle for words. "I just...I don't know how to say no to her..." she finally mumbled, her tone almost small and child- like.

  Uni let out a sigh, her frustration now giving way to a mixture of exhaustion and empathy. "Trixie, this isn't you. You're not the type to let someone step all over you like that.”

  "I know... I know, okay..." Trixie trailed off, a note of defeat in her voice. "But...but I don't want to upset her, Uni... I just want to make her happy. That's all I want. I just...I just can't say 'no' to her... Just- continue your journey without me for now... Head back to the Alliance HQ and let Svenja know my situation. “

  Uni was silent for a moment, her exhaustion and confusion now giving way to a mix of disappointment and concern. "Trixie...you can't seriously expect us to just leave you there?" A deep frown on her face.

  "It's safer for you all if you just go without me." Trixie replied softly, her tone still resigned. "I don't want to be a liability to your mission, and I'll be a better agent to Sarolta after I'm done being disciplined by her..."

  A door could be heard opening from Trixie's end. Trixie softly gasped in response. "I-I have to go. Love you all, bye..."

  Trixie hung up without another word.

  Uni sat on the bed dumbfounded, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. She was shocked, confused, and most of all, frustrated. Her exhaustion had vanished completely, replaced by a sense of disbelief and concern.

  Stephanie looked just as shocked, her little jaw dropping and her eyes growing wide. Even Esther seemed affected, her usually neutral expression replaced by one of puzzlement.

  Uni shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around what just happened. "I can't believe this..." she muttered, her voice tinged with disbelief.

  Stephanie shook her head as well, her small face still showing the remnants of her shock. Esther, silent as usual, just looked at Uni, her expression now showing some concern.

  Uni took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. "I can't believe she agreed to that...that...humiliation," she muttered, her tone a mix of incredulity and frustration.

  Stephanie nodded in agreement. "It's...kinda messed up if you ask me," she said quietly, her voice tinged with concern. "Sooo...what do we do now, Uni?"

  "Head back to the Alliance HQ, I guess," Uni suggested with a shrug. "Gotta let Svenja know what's going on. She's going to be shocked to hear this…”

  "Sounds like a plan," Stephanie agreed, but there was a hint of concern in her tone. "But...what about Trix?”

  Uni sighed, looking almost a little defeated. "I don't know, Steph... I honestly don't know. She's bent on this 'discipline' thing though, so let's just let her have her space... Tomorrow, we're going to the Alliance. Svenja isn't gonna like to hear this, but we have to let her know." she proposed, giving Esther a determined stare.

  Esther nodded silently, her expression showing her agreement. Then Uni sat up straight, her determination now set. Stephanie gave her a nod of understanding. The girls' next move was clear: head back to the Alliance HQ and inform Svenja about the situation, which would be a challenge in itself to explain.