The Watcher (part 5)

-- read part 1 here --
-- read part 2 here --
-- read part 3 here --
-- read part 4 here --

"Elena, hurry up a bit please. Your appointment is at 2 o'clock!"

Elena did her best to increase her pace. I could loosen the drawstring around her knees, of course, but that would spoil the fun. Elena did her best to take quicker steps. Even while walking ahead of her, there was much to enjoy. I heard the swishing sound as her Moonboots rubbed together with every hobbled movement and her labored breathing inside the thick down hoods.

After my little setup in the train, Elena's dresscode had become more severe. She now wore the yellow and black expedition down suit under her blue Parkasite mantle. Both hoods were tied so that they left only a slit for her eyes. Elena also wore the heavy mittens that made her hands useless and that she couldn't take off on her own. As further insurance, all her clothes were locked on. This meant that she had to be accompanied all the time, and for that, Oskar had hired me full-time. Although I liked Yvonne, it wasn't hard to give up my part-time job at the cafe for this opportunity.

Today, Elena had an appointment at the hairdresser. The bus had been delayed, so when we finally got off we only had ten minutes to reach our destination. That was the reason I was now urging Elena on. Well, to be fair, arriving five minutes late wouldn't quite be a major disaster - but it was nice to see her struggle. And after all, there was something else we needed to do afterwards.

Anyway, I managed to deliver Elena in time. Once we were inside, I took off her down mantle and took my time to hang it on a peg. Meanwhile Elena was still in her down suit with the hood up, while all the customers and hairdressers no doubt looked at her in the various mirrors. I then unlocked the hood, but kept the zipper locked, so she had to keep the suit on and zipped up all the way. I then untied the sweatshirt hood she wore underneath and took both hoods down. I figured the hoods would still be somewhat in the way for the hairdresser, but it would be manageable. How Elena would explain that she couldn't take off the down suit was up to her.

"Elena, when you're done here, ask someone to help you with your clothes. Make sure everything is tied as before. I'll be in the cafe down the street, come to me there."
And with that I left Elena there, a bewildered look in her eyes.

---

When Elena entered the cafe, it took her some moments to find me, as there were quite a few occupied tables in the cafe. Then she approached me. I greeted her and told her to take a seat while I finished my coffee. "Are your clothes all done up properly?" I asked.
"I think so," Elena's muffled voice came out of the hoods. "I'm not sure about the drawstring around my knees. I couldn't see what she was doing. For my hoods I had to ask her several times to tie them tighter, she could not believe I really wanted them that way. I was very ashamed. She had been asking why I wore such thick clothes already."
"What did you say?"
"I said I'm not used to the cold here. Which is true, but of course it couldn't really explain my excessive clothes. Especially the down suit I was wearing indoors."
"Well, you'll have to get used to that."

At this point, my coffee was finished and an attentive waiter approached our table. "Can I get you anything else?" he asked. "Why not?" I said, "we still have plenty of time. I'll have another coffee. And you, Elena?" "Um, coffee as well." But Elena had not spoken very loud and the sound did not get through her hood very well, so the waiter did not quite understand her. "Sorry?" he asked. "Coffee, please," Elena repeated as loud and clear as she could. This time the waiter heard her and left us.

"I'll get you out of your mantle first," I said. Just like at the haidresser's, I took off Elena's mantle and her hoods, but she remained in the zipped-up down suit. Everyone in the cafe could now see her layers. We then drank our coffee, and afterwards of course I had to wrap Elena up and once again she was exposed to incredulous looks and whispered comments.

But the day was not finished - we had one more thing to do. Since Oskar had decreed that the down suit, which I normally wore in the morning to watch him run, was now Elena's everyday clothing, he saw it as only fair that I'd get a replacement. He had told me where they had bought the down suit, given me his credit card, and told me to get another one. So that's where we were headed next.

---

We took the elevator to the third floor. "Clara, can you take off my hoods please?" Elena asked. "Soon," i promised. I wanted to show her off in her hoods just a little bit longer. When we entered the outdoors department, I quickly approached a young sales assistant.
"Hi, I'm looking for a down suit," I said.
"Sure, did you have anything in mind?" she asked with a friendly smile.
"Yes, I'd like a suit like my friend Elena is wearing. I'll show it to you." I untied Elena's hood and took it off, then unzipped the mantle, revealing her heavy down suit. The sales assistant's eyes went big and she was stunned for a moment when she saw Elena's clothes. But she quickly recovered when I turned back towards her.
"That's the Feathered Friends expedition suit," she said. "We have them in stock. I'll bring you one."

Moments later I was wearing the same suit as Elena. The assistant helped me put it on and she put my hood up as well. She even tied it just like Elena's. "There," she smiled, "now you look just like your friend. Except she is wearing a down mantle as well. I'm afraid we don't have that brand though. But I could find you another down mantle if you like?" That was unexpected. But I like down clothes and I was curious to see what the girl could come up with. Just trying something couldn't hurt, I thought, so I said yes.

She came back with a nice thick down mantle. It was completely black so it wouldn't stand out too much. The girl helped me into it and with practiced movements she put the hood up and tied it tight. In addition to the mantle, she had brought a pair of mittens and a pair of Moonboots. Both were red. "I figured since you want to be dressed like your friend, I should bring you these as well," she explained. I felt this was heading the wrong way - I preferred it when Elena was the one dressed so heavily in public. But I had come this far, and there were no other people around, so I didn't object.

Now, from one thing came another, and I have to admit this young sales assistant was doing her job really well. Before I knew it she had directed me to the cashier and I was paying for the whole lot with Oskar's credit card. I'd had to take everything off again, of course, and put on my own shoes and purple down jacket again. I had of course no intention of going outside like that. That would be way too embarassing. So after paying, I put Elena in her mantle again, making sure to tie the hood and hem drawstrings tightly.

"So now it's your turn," the shop assistant smiled. To my surprise, she had not wrapped up my purchases. Instead she was holding up the down suit.
"I, no, I'm not going to wear that now," I said.
"Don't be silly. I see you want to be dressed just like your friend. Come on, take your shoes off."
My mind was reeling. Somehow, in a daze, I did take off my shoes and stepped into the down suit. Why did I obey this girl? I guess deep down, I wanted to do this. I was just too scared to do it on my own. But now, with this girl taking charge, it came almost easily.
"Wait, I have to take off my jacket," I said when the suit was up my legs.
"The suit is big enough, it's supposed to allow for a jacket underneath. Arms in now," the girl said. She zipped my suit up and put the mittens on my hands, tying and knotting them. I won't get out of those, I thought. I felt panic, somewhere, but it was buried under that sense of unrealness. Meanwhile I was getting wrapped up further. Both hoods, of her purple jacket and the down suit, went up and were tied. The Moonboots went on my feet. And finally she put me into the mantle as well. Just like I had done for Elena, she took care to tie the hood so tight it only left a small slit for my eyes, and she tied the hem so tight I could only take small steps.

"There, I'm sure you won't be cold now, right?" And with that we were off.

The elevator was empty when we got in, but on the first floor it halted and people came in. They looked at us as if we were a pair of aliens who had just arrived on Earth. I was absolutely mortified. But it was much worse once we were outside. We had to make our way through  busy streets full of shoppers. Our tiny steps meant that we advanced very slowly. Because the hoods restricted our vision, we couldn't even see each other, so we had to hold hands (or mittens, actually) to stay together. I felt helpless and ridiculous as we walked towards the nearest bus stop.

---

Oskar smiled. He had just had a phone call from Silke, the shop assistant at the outdoor department. She had succeeded in wrapping up Clara just like Elena. He had suspected she would not object to that. Clara would make a perfect companion for Elena now.






Overview

The Watcher (part 4)

-- read part 1 here --
-- read part 2 here --
-- read part 3 here --

After those events, certain things changed in the relationship between Oskar and Elena. Elena had been devoted to Oskar before, but the fact that she wanted to gain his complete trust again made her more submissive to him. Therefore Oskar had imposed some rules on her, and Elena followed these strictly, even when Oskar wasn't around, to prove her loyalty.

We still watched Oskar run every morning, me in the yellow down mantle with the Feathered Friends expedition suit underneath, Elena in the blue Parkasite mantle with two down jackets under it. After that first day we were both gagged. Elena accepted her ball gag meekly. I was a bit more hesitant but I already loved the suit and mantle so much that I didn't protest when Oskar fitted me with a ball gag as well. It was uncomfortable to have a gag in my mouth for more than three hours, but it was a sacrifice I was willing to make. And I have to admit it worked. Being unable to talk, there was nothing to do but watch the solitary runner.

At any other time when Elena was outside, she wore the Parkasite mantle without the other jackets underneath. But she had to zip it up fully, put the hood up, and tie the hood until only a small slit remained. Only her eyes and most of her nose weren't covered. She also wore her ski pants and the red Moonboots all the time. When she was with Oskar, he put her into the heavy mittens that she couldn't get out of on her own. Otherwise she wore another pair of mittens that wasn't quite as thick and that she could take off herself - but she wasn't allowed to do this until she was inside. All in all, she was still a remarkable sight. It was December then, with temperatures around 5°C. The huge, shiny mantle was striking on its own, but the tightly tied hood and the Moonboots really made her stand out.

During that time, I did my best to befriend Elena and visit her as often as I could. This was in fact quite easy. Elena was an immigrant; she only lived here since half a year. She had few acquaintances so she was glad to have someone to talk to and to go shopping with.

Elena loved shopping, which I guess is normal when you have more free time and money than you know what to do with - both were true in Elena's case. She had so many shoes that I doubted she had worn them all. She confided to me that she didn't mind wearing the Parkasite mantle, even with the hood tied all the time, but that she didn't like the Moonboots and would love to wear some of her other shoes. Given her expansive collection, that was understandable. Elena had once carefully tried to raise the subject with Oskar, but he had been clear on the point. She would wear the Moonboots all winter. Elena had not argued; she accepted his rules.

Still, that did not stop her from buying new shoes occassionally. For me it was quite funny to see her take off her big Moonboots to try on some elegant, fancy shoe - only to change back into the Moonboots afterwards, with a resigned look on her face. I'm sure the people in these boutiques rarely see customers in Moonboots, too.

As for me, I dressed more 'conservatively' than Elena. My daily hours as a 'watcher' satisfied my needs for thick down clothes. I felt the yellow mantle was too striking, so I wore my own purple down jacket. I often wore the hood, but I was quick to remove it before we entered somewhere. For Elena, the rule was that she had to keep everything on until she was inside - only then could she start taking off her mittens, and after she had those off she was able to free herself from her hood. Similarly, everything had to be in place before she went outside.

Elena often got some weird looks, and every now and then I noticed someone sneakily taking a picture of her. While I love down clothes, I would not have enjoyed dressed as she was in public. At the track it was fine, as it was nearly deserted at this time of the year. But being dressed like this while walking in and out of shops - no thanks. Oddly, this made my enjoyment of Elena's situation greater. Every odd look or half-whispered comment about Elena excited me.

One particular rule of Oskar was a great source of excitement for me - and embarassment for Elena. Oskar had stated that public transport did not count as being 'inside'. Because Oskar and Elena lived in a villa outside the city center, Elena had to take the bus every time she went somewhere. I admit that seeing her obvious discomfort whenever she was sitting in a crowded bus with her hood so tight was a turn-on for me. I always went with her on the bus, even though I didn't live in the same neighbourhood as Oskar and Elena. Whenever I visited them, I went there by car and then I left it there when we went out. I said I wasn't a confident driver; I didn't like driving in the city center and parking was too much of a hassle. It was not entirely untrue. But most importantly it meant I could accompany Elena every time while she was on the bus.

One day things took a surprising turn. I arrived at the villa while Elena was upstairs, taking a shower, so I found myself alone with Oskar. He asked me if Elena could cope with the new rules and if she obeyed them. I said she had no trouble following them. "If Elena would break a rule, would you tell me?" he asked. I wasn't sure what to say to that. Elena was my friend, and you don't betray your friends. But Oskar explained that he needed to know if she did. It was better for their relationship if such things were taken care of right away than if Elena could get away with them for a longer period. I admitted that made sense.

"Clara, I'd like to make you an offer. I'll pay you a moderate fee - let's say 100 euro per month - if you promise to let me know right away if Elena breaks a rule."
I thought about it. I didn't feel I would do Elena a huge disservice by letting Oskar know. She wanted to live by his rules, after all. Also she had shown no sign of wanting to break them, so it was in fact easy money. There were just a few problem points.
"I can do that... but I wouldn't want Elena to know."
"I understand. If something happens, I won't confront her directly. I'll figure something out. She will never know you told me."
"And what happens then?"
"She'll get a fitting punishment. Extra clothes to wear, some extra strictness in the rules."
That seemed fair, so I accepted the offer.

It was a pleasant time for me. Every morning I was dressed in thick down clothes for over three hours. On days with a sports event I then worked in the cafe. On other days there weren't enough customers so Yvonne handled things alone, and I usually spent the afternoon with Elena. But as much as I enjoyed the whole situation - I wanted more. That's the human nature, I suppose. I had started fantasizing (there was a lot of time for that while I was wrapped in my down cocoon) about what kind of extra rules Oskar could impose. I'd love to find out. The problem was that Elena showed no intention of breaking Oskar's rules. Gradually a plan started forming in my mind.

When I read about a big new shoe shop opening in another city, I knew the time was right to execute my plan. I casually mentioned the new shop to Elena and suggested that we visit it. Although I didn't explicitly say so, I made it sound like we would go there by car. Elena accepted and the next day I arrived at their villa to pick her up. Even to walk from the house to the car, Elena had to wear her hood as usual. In the car she took off her mittens and hood, but kept the coat zipped up, just like she did when Oskar drove - those were the rules.

Elena was talking most of the time, and she realized nothing until we arrived at the train station.
"Wait, um, why are we here?"
"To take the train of course," I said while I parked the car.
"Aren't we going by car then?"
"No, I told you, I'm not a great driver. It's much easier to go by train."
Elena looked doubtful but she wasn't someone who argued about things. She accepted my decision, as she was used to accepting Oskar's. But she clearly realized her problem, as I saw a scared look in her eyes while she put her hood up and tied it. When she had her mittens on as well, we left the car.

Elena had not taken the train since the new rules were in effect. And this particular train ride would take an hour and thirty minutes. That's an awfully long time to sit indoors, in full view of other passengers, if you have to wear a very thick mantle with the hood up and tied tight. But trains were public transport, so either Elena would break the rule, or I would be able to enjoy her discomfort and embarassment for three hours today. I relished either prospect.

When the train arrived, I made sure to get on first and chose my seat so that Elena, when she took the seat opposite me, was facing the entire railcar. Right away I could see the visible part of her face become red, and sweatdrops forming near her eyes. She was nervous. But - I had to admire her courage - she remained dressed as she was, the mantle covering her from head to Moonboots, her mittened hands in her lap. I enjoyed that train ride immensely. I feasted on every little detail: how she had to speak a bit louder because of the down flap covering her mouth, how she tried to brush away a sweatdrop with her mitten, how she tried to turn towards the window a bit to not have to see the other passengers, but couldn't because her hood kept her facing forward.

After half an hour, a sound somewhere behind me made me turn my head. The conductor! Elena of course, could see him as he slowly made his way towards us. I saw panic rising in her eyes. Not wanting to make it easier for her, I had given Elena her ticket before we got on the train, so she would have to present it herself. And then, suddenly, Elena gave in to the panic and quickly pulled off her mittens and took off her hood. When the conductor arrived, she looked flushed and sweaty, but at least she wasn't completely dressed for a blizzard anymore.

"I, I can't do this," she stammered when he was gone. "I'll just leave the hood down in here. That will be okay, won't it?" she was almost begging. I comforted her a bit and said it was fine. Then I changed the subject and cheered her up.

My plan had worked perfectly. The rest was surprisingly easy. I discretely sent a message to Oskar. On the evening train back, Elena took her hood off right away. Oskar arranged it so that he could get on our train in the station before our destination. When he entered, Elena was caught in the act. She didn't even try to defend herself. She admitted her mistake and accepted whatever punishment Oskar deemed appropriate.

What would the punishment be? I couldn't to wait to find out.



-- on to part 5 --







Overview

The Watcher (part 3)

-- read part 1 here --
-- read part 2 here --

The next morning I was eagerly waiting to see how Oskar was going to dress me. Finally they arrived, but they were approaching so slowly. I impatiently hopped from one foot on the other. But then I saw Elena’s short steps and I realized the drawstring around her knees was tightened. Not as tight as it had been when she was watching Oskar, because then she wouldn’t have been able to walk at all. But it clearly limited her steps.

“Hi Clara,” Oskar said, and Elena echoed him, although it was harder to hear her. She was of course wearing the thick shiny blue Parkasite down mantle. In the hood opening the white fur from the jacket underneath was visible. Then I saw something else. A piece of metal was attached to the zipper and the drawstrings of her hood. Oskar saw me look at it.

“It’s a magnetic lock,” he explained. “After what happened I’m not taking any risks. Elena agrees with my precaution. From now on she will be locked into her Parkasite coat wherever she goes. While she watches my morning runs, she also wears the two other down jackets underneath. For the rest of the day the Parkasite coat will suffice. Shall we go inside?”

I followed Oskar to the changing room. Elena came last. While Oskar carried his sports bag, Elena carried a much larger bag. I assumed it contained my clothes.

"You can take off your own jacket, Clara," Oskar said once we were in the changing room, "and your shoes as well." I did as he said. Meanwhile Elena put the bag on the table. Then she stood in a corner to watch me getting dressed. Oskar opened the bag and took out a large pile of down-filled nylon. My heart started beating faster at the sight of it.

It was a down suit in yellow and black. I had never worn a down suit before but I was happy to try it on. I put my legs in first, then my arms, and zipped the suit up. It was really warm. Oskar put my hood up, fastened the velcro flap in front of my mouth, and tied the hood tightly, until only my eyes were showing.
Next he gave me a pair of Moonboots. These too were yellow and black, matching the suit. They were in shiny vinyl. I put them on my feet and tied them. Oskar then helped me into a pair of black mittens exactly like Elena’s. Once they were secured, my hands were almost useless. I thought that would be all, but then Oskar reached into the bag again.

This time he showed me a down mantle, and my eyes widened at the sight of it. The whole mantle is in a pure, bright yellow. It was like looking into the sun. It made me a bit nervous. I was going to be very visible like that. I liked down clothes, but this coat would make me quite showy.

Despite that I obediently put my arms into the coat. It came down right to the top of my Moonboots. Oskar did up the zip and really wrapped me into the coat. The hood was tied until I could barely see out, and he fastened drawstrings at the bottom and around my waist. Just like Elena, the drawstring at the bottom allowed me only a little room so I could take small steps.

“You girls can go outside now,” Oskar said. “I’ll see you at the track.”

Elena turned and slowly made her way outside. I followed at a similar speed. From behind she looked like a shiny blue sleeping bag with Moonboots underneath. I imagined I must look like a similar yellow sleeping bag. We must look quite the odd pair, I thought. But it  was still very early so there was nobody around to see us. I knew that later there would be people, though. I wondered what they’d make of us.

While Oskar was running his rounds, Elena told me how they had acquired my new clothes.

"Yesterday afternoon, Oskar was still not pleased with me. And with good reason, I admit. I should not have allowed you to take my place, it was not fair towards Oskar, who thought it was me all the time. So I think he wanted to punish me a bit when he took me into a shop in my Parkasite mantle with the hood up and tied. By then he had bought the magnetic lock already, so I couldn't open my own coat. He spent a long time finding the thickest down suit available, and of course I was very uncomfortable. But I didn't complain, because I knew I deserved it.

Eventually a shop assistant approached us and asked if she could help. She directed the question at Oskar but I saw her give me a sideways glance. Oskar told her that I was cold all the time, and he wanted the warmest available down suit. She showed him the suit from Feathered Friends that you are wearing now. Oskar then unlocked my Parkasite mantle and helped me out of it. Then I took off my Moonboots and they both helped me put on the suit. Oskar put the hood up and tied it so tight that only my eyes were showing. The girl started explaining that the suit really wasn't meant for everyday wear, and that it was an expedition suit, adapted to the most extreme conditions. But by then Oskar had seen the down mantle and insisted on putting that on top of the down suit.

So shortly afterwards, I stood there, in front of that amazed girl, wearing the same two layers you are wearing now. The shop assistant said I must be melting in there, but Oskar waved that away. "It's exactly what she wants, isn't that so, dear?" he asked me. And I of course did as he wanted me to, and assured the girl that it was true. Afterwards he helped me out of both layers and handed me my Parkasite mantle again. I knew what he wanted so I zipped it up all the way, put the hood up and tied it. We stayed in that shop a while longer after that.

When we eventually left, Oskar asked me in a clear voice whether I wanted to wear the mantle right away, and of course I had to say yes to that, so he again gave it to me to put it on. It was humiliating to wrap myself into such excessive clothing in front of the shop personnel and the customers, but I knew I had to do this to make up for my earlier mistake. It was particularly embarassing when I struggled to tie the hood over the thick Parkasite hood. I didn't manage to get it tight enough to completely cover the hood underneath, so part of the blue hood remained visible inside the yellow hood. But Oskar patiently waited until I had finished my show before we could leave."

I was transfixed by Elena's story, and afterwards I asked her several questions about the details of it, because I wanted to hear more about it. Of course, that meant we were not looking at Oskar during that time - we were facing each other. Oskar noticed that and didn't like that we paid him no attention. Elena and I had no idea that the consequence of this would be that would both be gagged in the future.





-- on to part 4 --







Overview