Celosia nods, frowning slightly. Genuinely unsure about how this is going to go, looking around the room and seeing a clear dichotomy in the groups involved. “I see… well then, if there is nothing else to add, I believe we have enough to put your status up to a vote Nix. We know your wish is to be independent, so we shall take that into account.” She smiles. “Everyone, I have sent a poll to your pads, please make your votes, and any comments you wish to add.”

“Is this even really a question Celosia?” Alistor Aramara, sixth bloom, speaks from behind her. His form is nearly as tall as Sola’s but far more lanky, vines tightly wrapped around one another in a mix of black and red. Despite their long working history, he couldn’t help but sound incredulous about the fact this entire conversation is even happening. “I know you’ve grown close with Sola over this last bloom, but like it or not that poor sophont killed five terrans. I don’t see how we could reasonably allow her into the compact, without domestication.”

“This wouldn’t be happening, but due to her need to be kept off of hardline xenodrugs in order to prevent damage to her ability to move permanently… She's grown too aware of the situation, and according to the records, Nix has shown no violent or disorderly behaviors after the first day, and even then that was just caused by her own confusion.” Celosia sighs, looking over at Sola. “And if this conversation has shown anything, it’s that Nix was a prisoner, rather than a free terranist. She has expressed no such ideology, and has despite not being on xenodrugs that would force her docility, asked for help to inform her rather than mistrusting Sola.”

“Indeed, I believe that if we dared force Nix at this point she’d merely suffer a trauma response, due to the similarity to her imprisonment. Which could lead to her needing a far more intense xenodrug regime.” Sola looks over at Alister shuddering slightly, feeling the affini’s cool blue eyes piercing her.

Dinaea finally speaks up, looking between the trio. “I must agree with the observation made by Celosia, but I do not believe this means she should be allowed independence. Nix is in a very fragile state currently, so if I may offer an alternative we can agree to.” She gestures between Sola and Nix. “We will vote to allow provisional independence for Nix Ave, Sola or whoever else believes they can safely domesticate Nix, will do so over the coming weeks. She will not be allowed to remain permanently independent, but this strategy will allow Nix to fall under what she believes is fully voluntary circumstances, hopefully preventing further harm.”

Celosia looks around, seeing the group's votes. Nodding to herself. “Nix Ave, we have come to a conclusion that we all can agree on. You have been through many trials, and a lot of hard times. Your actions draw the decision in multiple directions.” She looks at the pad. “With a vote percentage of 57, you are granted partial rights as an independent sophont. You can of course later choose domestication if it ends up as something you desire, but we trust that you will do the right thing. However, since we all agree that there’s a good case for you needing domestication, we will require you to continue to have consistent check ups, though Sola can do that easily, given I am sure that you will see her plenty.”

The group slowly watches as Nix and Sola walk out of the room. Waiting to continue the conversation until it wouldn’t be possible for Nix to overhear, and get curious, after hearing her name even more, and start asking questions. 

Celosia sits still nodding a few times, as she looks over all of the affini in the room. “I have a mostly positive rapport with Nix, I will assist in any ways that I see fit. If Sola proves incapable of domesticating Nix, due to her more compassionate nature, I’ll take it upon myself to domesticate her.”

Alister laughs to himself, getting out of his seat. Leaving several stacks of paperwork that he’d been working on in the background. “Now that’s something I’ve not heard come out of your mouth in far too long. Makes me think that you were using the agreement to get a chance at her.”

“I have no idea what you’re referring to Alister, I simply find Nix fascinating. I’ve seen many cases similar to hers come through our doors, but the fact that she’s so determined to not gain equality, or even necessarily independence, but simply to have who she is now be seen, it makes me want to reach out and ensure that she’s seen by everyone.” Celosia chuckles to herself, leaning on the table as she looks up at Alistor. “But I promise. If I am the one who domesticates her, you’ll get to gorge on the incredibly complex paperwork, that I’m sure will be involved.”

Alistor’s leaves rustle slightly in excitement. “Well I was already looking forward to working with you on the paperwork for this case, so you better go get her then.” He shakes his head looking towards the door. “Sola I believe, is simply too naive to deal with a case as complex as Nix’s, she believes that Nix is the kind of pet that will simply submit at her heel on instinct.”

Dinaea walks over to the pair, glaring over at Alistor. “I will agree that Sola has not handled this case, the best way it possibly could have been, but her compassion for that girl, is the only reason we’re even able to have this conversation be as pleasant as it was. During my appointments with Nix, it became abundantly clear that Sola, while not succeeding in domesticating Nix. Was still able to facilitate more healing than I’d have ever anticipated, from a case like Nix’s. She will learn from this, and be better prepared in the future, I am sure of that.”

“Still, I believe Nix should be on a higher level of xenodrugs once possible. I don’t trust the cuddly exterior that we’ve been presented with, she’s still a feral who killed a room of sophonts.” Alistor shakes his head, starting to walk back to his seat to continue his work.

“And she will not get away, she’s going to be in a hab that is created to be as safe as possible, and with her current levels of anxiety, she will not go out into the ship unaccompanied. I would estimate another week, or two, and she will be domesticated, and we can all put this behind us. What happened aboard the Free Spirit was a tragedy, but you can’t blame that girl for being scared. We delayed capturing the free spirit to get to the other two alongside it, we would not have made it to her in time, she is right, she would be dead right now if it hadn’t been for that trap.” Celosia looks down slightly. “This was our failure, not hers, a harsh reminder of what the consequences of not catching these poor ferals can lead to.”

This is enough to lead the entire room into a chilling quiet, they’d left Nix in that ship for several days longer than required to catch up to set a trap, believing she’d be safe in the meantime, and this is what had happened as a consequence. 

Dinaea is the first to turn around, starting to walk towards the exit to the room. “Indeed it is, the least we can do for the poor thing, is make the transition as painless as possible. If this was any other situation, I would not even consider this route as a possibility.” She glances over at Celosia. “Oh and Celosia, good luck with your efforts. I know you are capable, and seeing either you, or Sola, with a floret after all this time will be quite a relief.”

Celosia nods, watching as Dinaea and several other affini head out of the room. Leaving only herself, Alistor and the affini with a sleeping floret left sitting there.

“Alistor, if you wouldn’t mind, please… Just give Nix a chance when you meet her, I promise she’ll surprise you.” Celosia laughs weakly to herself, turning around and walking over to Alistor’s desk. Sitting next to him to work together on the paperwork. 

“How would she surprise me? Is there something that hasn’t been expressly put in the records yet?” Alistor laughs at the thought. “Because on the whole she seems like a pretty simple case, admitting everything that she’d done with a little help and all.”

“Yes but that little help was without any xenodrugs, like is stated, Nix is on the minimum amounts to keep her from being in pain, in order to help her relearn how to walk properly. She looked me in the eyes, and told me everything she’d done on her own.” Celosia hums to herself, filling out a few more sheets alongside Alistor. “Even when she remembered that she’d fired the gun, she chose to tell me, rather than trying to hide it. That is why I believe Nix is harmless.”

“I… see.” Alistor pauses for a moment, thinking over Nix’s behavior while she was in the room with this added context. “That makes her brazen admittance to everything that happened to her make more sense.”

“Indeed, which is why I’ve become fascinated. Many in her position would have tried to lie, but she even was frustrated with herself for not being able to immediately tell me. She’s at every opportunity been as conducive to both myself, and Sola as possible, while still remaining insistent on her need to be independent. It’s a fascinating paradox of desire, and I crave to break it down, and build her back up.”

“Then I can at least take a level of comfort in you going after her.” Alisor looks over the stack of Sola’s claims to Nix that had been submitted over the weeks. “I find Sola to be admirable in her work with disabled florets, she’s shown incredible ability to help them accept, and embrace the changes, but I still am frustrated by her behavior being protected by Dinaea.”

“Well I respect Dinaea’s opinion more than most, and I know that she’s been Sola’s mentor since her first bloom, so she wants to believe in her pupils’ capacity to handle this.” Celosia’s form tightens slightly. “I want to believe in her capacity to handle it too.”

“Dirt fine, I’ll drop this, for now.” Alistor flips through the paperwork. “I’m going to be busy enough as is, please continue to keep me updated about the Nix case, I’ll prepare the paperwork for the domestication in advance. Her file is large enough to need all the time I can get anyway.”

“Good, I’ll see you soon Alistor.” Celosia goes over, grabbing her stack of notes on Nix’s entire life, and placing them down in front of Alistor. “Enjoy reading over the records I recompiled about her life, maybe it will soften your stance on how she should be treated. Given you sound to me, like you would have her be on J’s a majority of the time.”

“If that is what it would take for her to be safe, If I had to remove her memories I would. I do not believe she needs class O’s obviously, but I do not trust a sophont who admitted she would be willing to kill to save her life, outside of domestication.” Alistor looks over the stack of Celosia’s personal notes, grabbing the top layer and beginning to go through it.

“But that would be such a waste of a fascinating mind. While she’d be precious while on class J’s, it wouldn’t be right to waste her potential like that. How would I get her adorable art with her on them?” Celosia chuckles to herself, starting to walk towards the door.

“And here I was thinking that you were a big proponent of class J pets.” Alistor laughs to himself, immediately earning a glare in response from Celosia. 

“Just like it would be with Nix, it was a waste to have Akka be so dependent on them.” And with that Celosia marches out of the room, heading down towards Resin’s plush shop. Needing to do something in order to cool off after such a charged meeting.

Celosia’s walk down the ship is definingly quiet, not even finding the energy to pet florets, or say hi to affini on her walk. Simply marching to the toy shop, running the thought of ensnaring Nix in her vines through her head over and over. Struggling with the temptation to take over, despite her desire to not hurt Sola. Knowing that if one of them doesn’t do something, there will be some affini who will. 

Despite this she is simply caught up on the idea of breaking down each one of Nix’s walls. Peeling it all back and looking at the scared pet underneath, singing her call and watching as the most wonderful docile pet on the ship is made. Proving to everyone that not only was Sola and her right about Nix being safe, but also satisfying her own curiosity and cravings.

This train of thought ends with her standing out front of the closed shop. Looking into the full windows, it’s obvious that today is the restocking day, where Pearl and Resin stay home to make a ton of new plushies. “Well, dust and rot.” She sighs, looking around for anything to serve as a distraction.

“Celosia? How are you doing?” Anthurium walks up behind her, holding Jason’s hand. “How was the trial? You look a little stressed.” She smiles a little bit, and rubs Celosia’s back. “Come on, we were just going for a walk, and we were about to get some more crafting supplies, if you want to join us.”

Celosia nods slightly, looking over the pair. “I’d rather not speak on it until you’ve heard Nix’s perspective of things… I’ve simply got a lot on my mind.” She ruffles her vines, following behind the pair.

Anthurium smiles and nods. “Alright, we will await what Nix has to say.” She giggles as Jason begins to drag her forward eagerly. “Alright sweetie, we will be there quickly enough.” 

Anthurium looks up at Celosia. “Sorry, Jason has been really excited to get this next set of supplies, we have a new idea for a game.”

“Well then best not to keep him waiting.” Celosia nods slightly, watching as Jason continues tugging on his leash. Almost skipping in excitement.

“It’s going to be the best, even if it takes forever to get it finished!” Jason does a little twirl, his dress bouncing slightly with his movements. “It’s going to be the coolest game ever.”

Anthurium giggles, and pulls Jason closer, giving him some pets. “I know it will be sweetie. I’m excited for how it turns out, and of course our couple of test rounds, I’m sure you’ll have tons of fun showing off to Pearl and Nix, so they can play the first round after testing.” 

Celosia chuckles, while looking at another set of affini with their florets. “I’m sure they will love playing this one against you.”

Jason squirms around, taking a deep breath as he’s held still. Calming back down slightly, even if it is only so Celosia can feel slightly more comfortable accompanying them.

Celosia smiles softly at the boy, nodding slightly. “I’m happy to see Nix has such lively friends, it gives me confidence that we’ve made the right choice, in regards to her treatment.”

Anthurium grins, and playfully pokes Celosia’s cheek. “You are interested in her too, aren’t you?” She laughs a little bit more. “So, Nix is such a cutie, I’ve never asked you before, but how do you feel about her situation? I feel sorry for her, and see a little bit of my Jason in her.”

"I have complex feelings about her, she's fascinating, but also… I feel a need to protect her." Celosia looks down at Jason, switching to speak in affini. "I do not know how to feel about the situation she's been put in, this has really affected Sola’s reputation, and I've even put mine on the line, in regards to the plan that has been implemented regarding her treatment."

Anthurium nods, putting Jason down, and letting him walk, switching to talking in affini. “I’ve been worried about them. Sola is very gentle, which I won’t lie, I think Nix uniquely needs… However, I know she needs to be domesticated, and that is something that even with help, I don’t think gentleness can pull off.” She looks down at Jason, and shudders. “I have never seen Sola so happy before, and that makes my feelings on the matter hurt even more. I will say, I am afraid of what Nix could do… More to herself than anything, if not domesticated. It is terrifying what depression can bring our little cute sophonts to do when unobserved.”

"Do not worry, I'll handle it." Celosia nods to herself as they stop outside of the art and crafts shop. "I will do what I must, in order to ensure she's domesticated, within the next two weeks. I can already tell that Alistor is going to be giving me trouble until she is, he was in the vote and of course took a more hardline response to Nix. Wanting her not just domesticated, but well and truly broken, having her memories removed, or perhaps even on class J's."

Anthurium groans, and shakes her head. “Ok, that is too hard, maybe we need to get him a floret who he will really go through the extra work for. I swear, sometimes they may be quite a bit of work, but they really pay off in the long run.” They smile gesturing down at Jason, “I would suggest talking with Sola for a while, really give her the encouragement to go harder, but be ready to take the reigns of taking care of Nix, if she just… can’t. I’ll be ready to support her 100%, from domesticating, to comfort.”

"Don't worry too much about Alistor, he'd never met Nix, and from the paperwork he had access to. I can see why he'd have such misconceptions about her. The really big surprise was Dinaea, she swooped in to defend Sola’s treatment of Nix, and offered a plan that we could all agree would be for the best." Celosia walks behind Jason, grabbing things that the boy points out as they continue their conversation. "But if Sola refuses to take the leap, I promise I'll force her vine, and if she continues to refuse I will make Nix my own."

Anthurium quietly nods as she follows along, letting Celosia busy herself with grabbing what Jason wants. “As long as Nix is domesticated, I think it will all work out. Dinaea helping things along is really nice, if a little surprising… Although I am sure that she is going to be watching everything going on with Nix very closely. I would bet that if neither you nor Sola get Nix by the end of your proposed two weeks, she will swoop in and be even more forceful and by the books.”

"I have no doubts about that." Celosia laughs weakly to herself, making a mental note to ensure that there's no possible way for Dinaea to need to involve herself further in the domestication. "I mean even on the records for Nix’s first appointment with her Sola made a note that Dinaea was very open about her desire for Nix to become Sola’s. I'd hate to see what she'd do if she actually grew an interest towards Nix as a floret."

After a few more minutes of picking everything out. Celosia’s vines are filled with a litany of paints, and clay, for sculpting. "But that's a problem for tomorrow, for now Nix needs to be given a small bit of leeway. Let her see 'freedom' and realize it's not what she wanted from the start. Then hopefully she'll message me first, but if not I'll message her to begin my advances."

Anthurium smiles, and helps take some of the supplies off of Celosia. “That sounds like a reasonable plan. Jason, and I, will stick on the sidelines, but if either of you ask for help, we will gladly give it, although I am sure I will need to poke, and prod Sola a little. I don’t think Nix would do anything… Risky in the first couple days, but I would personally still make a point that she be in contact with someone every day.”

"I'll send her daily messages, thanks for being here to talk for a bit." Celosia gently leans down, putting the rest of Jason’s supplies into a bag, and handing them to him. "And yes, I'd recommend going to talk to Sola, when you get the chance. I can see her starting to mope, instead of getting up and doing it." 

With that Celosia stands back up, giving Jason a little pet, before starting to walk back to her hab. Still stressed, but at least able to think of a constructive plan on how to domesticate Nix.