Being cuddled by her Mistress was amazing. And the xenodrugs certainly didn’t hurt. It was so soft, and warm, and honestly, Petal could use a bit of that, after the intensity of being operated on, and the sex, and the other operation. It had all been, honestly, incredible, but it had also been really intense. 

Even being cuddled was pretty intense, but, like, in a soft, and warm, and safe way. As if somebody had taken the feeling of being wrapped up in the softest blanket ever, and dialled that up to eleven. An intensity of relaxation she hadn’t even conceived of. She could just melt into Delphinium’s vines, melt into just being a vaguely human looking part of her, or even a completely inhuman part of her. Just melt until her Mistress needs her again.

“Hey you~. So is this just, like, your look now? Because I am a big fan.” Millie might have some other ideas, come to think of it. And while Petal could see herself just completely losing herself in her Mistress, she still adores Millie. But what's she even talking about? Of course Petal was going to look all floretty from now on!

“I, uh… what d’you mean?” Millie gestures down Petal’s body, and Petal finally takes a look. She’s naked. “I… I’m naked again?!”

“My dear, you’ve been naked the whole time. Had… had you not noticed?” Oh stars, was Petal really so oblivious that even her Mistress was surprised? Wasn’t it her fault, anyway?

“I, um, w-well, uh…" How is she supposed to respond to that? "N-no? I guess I didn’t.” Roots, shouldn’t she have noticed, not being naked isn't supposed to be difficult, and anyway, isn't that something that Delphinium should be helping her with? Maybe Petal was already too much for her. 

“That’s quite alright, my dear. You don’t actually need to be aware of whether or not you’re wearing clothes at any given moment, unless I decide you do." Petal blushes. Oh, yeah, that makes more sense. "But, my dearest, why did you assume that you were clothed?”

“I- I’m just… I’m not used to randomly being naked, okay?” Is that really such a confusing idea? People don’t just walk around naked. Well, okay, some affini do, and they’re definitely people. But humans, humans definitely wear clothes.

“Well, my dear, the wearing of clothes is a human custom, and you’re not exactly a human, now, are you?” Oh right, that. She’s not going to be a human anymore. Is that why Delphinium has her naked? So that she’s less human? That's nice, but it doesn't make the nakedness any less embarrassing. 

“I… um… b-but, um… some non-humans wear clothes too!”

“That is true, my dear, and you do look absolutely wonderful in a companion dress. But I’m sure we could find some kind of compromise~. Or rather, I’m sure that I can find some kind of compromise that satisfies me~.”

“I, I, w-well, um… yes, Mistress, if… if you want me to, then… then I’ll just get used to being naked all the time, I guess.”

“Oh! That raises a very good point, my dear. If you spend all of your time naked, it might stop being quite so special. To me, that is. For you, I could always just make you forget that you don’t wear clothes anymore, rather easily~.”

Petal's blush deepens. “I… yes, Mistress.” Should Petal tell Her that the idea of that is really hot? Does She already know? Was there something about Petal, or something in her browser history that would tell Delphinium just how hot the idea of randomly being forced to confront just how deep Her control runs is? There was a lot of stuff Petal looked at, but it was a long time ago, and she doesn’t really remember what all of it was. Her Mistress probably knows her better than she knows herself. Which is also frustratingly hot. 

Millie interrupts Petal's train of thought when she slowly runs a hand down Petal’s side. “Your voice got really pretty, by the way~.”

“I, I, um! Th-thank y-you?”

“You’re welcome!” Millie’s hand stops at Petal’s waist, and Millie wraps her arms around Petal’s belly, hugging her gently. For a moment, Petal was sure that Millie was going to start something else, but apparently not. Not this time, at least. Maybe she could tell that it would be too much for Petal? Maybe she could tell from something about Delphinium that it was cuddle time, and not sex time.

Really, though, Delphinium’s the one who deserves the praise for Petal’s new voice. “Thank you, Mistress, by the way. For making my voice so pretty.”

“Haven’t you already thanked me for that, my dearest~.” Delphinium forms a viny brush, and starts to run it through Petal’s hair.

“I… uh, yes… Mistress. I… I wanted… I wanted to thank you again?” Dirt. It was hard to concentrate on what she was supposed to be saying when her Mistress was brushing her hair.

"Thank me for what, my dear~?"

"F-for, uh…" Roots, what was she thanking her for? Brushing her hair, maybe? It felt so nice, after all. "Um… everything?" That should be safe, right? Petal was thankful to her Mistress for everything that She's done for her.

Millie giggles, and squeezes Petal tighter. That probably wasn't it, then.

"Everything, you say. Do you think you might be able to give me a few examples~?"

"Yes Mistress! I'd love to! Thank you for brushing my hair! And, um… thank you for saving me from the rebellion! And thank you for saving me from my independence! Thank you for taking me, and fucking me, and breaking me, and making me yours! Thank you for being so kind, and generous, and wonderful! Thank you for Millie! And for letting me spend time with Millie! Thank you for making me… better, for fixing my body, and my voice, and, and thank you for giving me an implant, and for breaking me, and for helping me be the best me I can be! And thank you for existing, Mistress! Thank you for letting me exist near you! Thank you!"

Delphinium just stares at Petal in adoration for what Petal thinks is probably only a few seconds, but feels like it could just as easily be a few hours. "The next thing you know, my dearest, you'll be thanking me for letting you breathe~."

Petal feels herself latch onto the suggestion. Not quite an order, but the next best thing, and so the moment that Delphinium’s voice falls silent she’s already thanking her. "Thank you for letting me breathe, Mistress!"

"Petal, I was just…" Delphinium seems amused, and rustles her leaves in what Petal thinks must be her equivalent of a sigh, pausing the hairbrushing to just ruffle Petal’s hair. "You're very welcome, my dear. For all of it. It has been my absolute pleasure. And thank you, for being so adorable, for being so suggestible, and most of all, my dearest, thank you for choosing to be mine."

"I- I, um… but, but, I…" Petal lets out a defeated sigh when Delphinium raises a quizzical eyebrow vine in her direction. "Y-you're welcome, Mistress."

"Good girl."

Petal tries to squirm away, but she ends up just nestling in against Millie, and, honestly, that just feels really nice, so she just keeps nuzzling against her girlfriend. A moment later, Delphinium’s viny brush returns to keep stroking Petal’s hair. Petal could very easily see herself falling asleep like this, if every touch wasn’t sending electric shivers up and down her spine. Even if she wasn’t going to be falling asleep any time soon, Petal could feel her muscles relaxing. Her body going limp in the arms of her lovers.

Some amount of time passes, Petal isn’t really sure how much. She’s never really been any good at keeping track of the time, even at the best of times. Which, well, this probably is the best of times, actually. Millie squishes her tightly, and whispers in her ear. “So am I going to get any ‘thank you’s~?”

“I- w-well, um-” Petal starts to turns herself towards Millie but one of those delightful electric shivers shooting up her spine must have hit the signal going down the other way, and as she turns, she feels her arm flail out, out of her control, she’s sure it’s going to hit Millie right on the nose, but before it reaches her girlfriend, it’s wrapped in vines, and gently pulled upwards.

Millie doesn’t stop cuddling her, but Delphinium’s viny brush is pulled away. “Oh, how wonderful, my dearest! Your implant has started to interface with your peripheral nervous system.”

“My… what?”

“Your implant, or your peripheral nervous system?.”

Petal feels her leg spasm, and moments later it too is wrapped in vines, holding it gently, but inexorably in place. Her other arm, and leg are also wrapped up moments later, just before they too start to twitch.

“W-wha’s happening?”

“I told you, my dear, your implant has started to interface with your peripheral nervous system. More specifically, your somatic nervous system.

“Somatic?”

“The part of your nervous system that is responsible for controlling your voluntary body movements. Of course, your implant has been developing this connection since it was first put in, but I’m glad to see that it’s reached the point where it’s ready to start testing the system. Testing its ability to control you, if and when I need it to.”

“I, I, um…” 

“Don’t worry though, my dear, I’ll make sure nothing untowards happens, and it won’t start testing your cranial nerves just yet, so you should be able to keep talking without too much difficulty, for now.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

“Won’t it be such a relief, my dear, to know that no matter what, I’ll be able to take control of your body at a moment’s notice?”

“I-” Is it? Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Shouldn’t the relief be to know that she’d be able to take back control of her body if she ever needed it? Except, no, it shouldn’t. Delphinium is the one who’s responsible for her body, now. And she clearly understands it a lot better than Petal does. It is a relief, to know that her Mistress will be able to take control at a moment’s notice. Not to mention incredibly hot. Like, Petal didn’t even know that she had these buttons, but she sure is glad that Delphinium found them. “Yes Mistress~.”

“Yes, my dear, there will be plenty of fun to be had with them, too~.”

“Yes Mistress, thank you Mistress!”

“For now though, my dear, I believe you were about to start thanking your delightful connivent for things, weren’t you~?”

“Yes, Mistress.” Petal feels her body being turned to face Millie, who pokes her nose.

“Boop!”

“I- Millie!” Petal blushes, and tries to squirm free, but her body has other plans, although they’re seemingly just as squirmy as what Petal had in mind, the only thing holding her in place being the implacable grip of her Mistress’s vines.

“Oh, aren’t you two just the cutest!” Petal feels her hair being ruffled at the same time as a vine reaches past her to ruffle Millie’s. Maybe they are. Millie definitely is, and Petal honestly has no idea how cute she is anymore. She’s cuter than she used to be, but who knows by how much?

“Yes Mistress!” Well, it’s not surprising that Millie agrees with their Mistress. She gives Petal an almost serious look. Oh, right. Petal’s probably also supposed to agree with that, isn’t she?

“Yes, Mistress.”

“Good girls! Now, why don’t you both start thanking each other for whatever comes to mind, hm?”

Delphinium twists Petal’s arm in a pleasantly uncomfortable way, giving Petal enough focus to call out in unison with her connivent. “Yes Mistress!”