Mertha could at least recognize when she was too out of it to make a proper decision. As soon as she got Hendrik to bed she dosed him with some class Z, that should keep him asleep until she could make up her mind. She needed some advice.

The answer came a couple seconds later

[RestlessAnnoyance]: he is sleeping. Okay if I come over now?

Mertha used all her remaining energy to remain cohesive and exited the hab. The short travel to Serla was far longer than she remembered.  How could she have been so careless with her words? She really couldn’t do anything right. She had failed at the negotiations, she had failed protecting Hendrik and now she had messed with his mind. Every time she felt confident in her abilities the galaxy seemed determined to prove her wrong.

“The cuties are sleeping in the living room so we can go to the kitchen and talk” Serla spoke softly, probably to not wake the humans from their sleep. As soon as they got to the kitchen and the door closed Mertha collapsed upon one of the chairs.

Serla was drinking her own tea while looking at Mertha expectedly. Trying to keep her discord to a minimum, she explained the situation.  How she had hypnotized Hendrik, how she had accidently forced him to trust her.

She felt a bit frustrated “I’m glad he did! Here I thought I was making progress and helping him, but it was just me manipulating him”. She slouched further down into the chair “I’m a complete failure, I just hope I can find someone else that can help him”.

It should be an easy answer, she had overstepped his boundaries and should fix the damage “of course I should….its just. Well, when I told him I would do it, he reacted……poorly” That was an understatement.

Serla looked away for a moment and then looked back straight into her eyes “if you want my opinion, I think you shouldn’t remove it”.

“You are probably right but that does not change the fact of the situation. that boy as so many mental blocks, your conditioning is just one of many in his mind”. Mertha paused it did kind of make sense, but still felt wrong.

The words felt affirming, reassuring even. Or perhaps she was just selfish, wanting to return to those memories of him smiling like they were anything more than a charade.

She looked back at Serla “so what do I do, we both know that it’s based on a lie. How can the trust be real after that?”

“It might actually be she, we talked about it before…the episode. he is still thinking it over, but I removed her facial hair and he seemed quite happy with it”. Serla looked at her in shock before she begun bristling with amusement.

Serla smiled “she has been adjusting wonderfully, she and Darla have really struck it off. They are almost inseparable, they are absolutely adorable together”. Serla got a bit more serious “does Hendrik know that she is on the ship, has he asked? Nora is worried about him of course, but I have told her he still needs to rest”.

Serla’s smile turned predatory “well as much as she has been staying here I might just collar her soon. She would make an excellent floret and Connivent with Darla”.

Serla just smiled more “he will have to cope, maybe seeing his bodyguard become a floret will allow him to consider the same. I think he would make an excellent floret, told him as much earlier today. And I’m sure you have thought the same”. Serla’s tone and eyes were teasing her.

Serla gave her a last teasing look before she left “just make sure to guard him well, when he becomes public knowledge I’m sure you will have plenty of competition”. Mertha let out an annoyed sigh, trying to cloak how embarrassed she was.

Hendrik felt the shadows recede as he was slowly forced back to consciousness. He held his eyes closed, perhaps if he just continued to pretend, he would fall asleep again. And if he opened them? Would there now be a stranger affini preparing him a meal? A person he would mentally dissect, try to manipulate….distrust at very opportunity. No, keeping his eyes closed was a far better strategy.

He opened his eyes and looked towards the voice. Mertha was standing in the door opening, the smell of the pancakes was trailing in from the kitchen. Hendrik traced his mind, no schemes, no suspicion. He felt safe….thank the stars. He felt tears well up in his eyes, for the first time in over a decade it was of joy.

She looked unsure, nervous “are you sure you want this? I will do my best to prove that you can truly trust me, but this choice is yours”. As she got close enough he hugged one of her arms.

She carried him over to the living room “it might be selfish of me to say but I am glad that you chose this. Now then, you also did not eat your ice-cream, so I have added it to your breakfast”. She put him down on the chair, a huge stack of pancakes stood in front of him, ice cream covered the top and the sides.

Mertha had already readied another fork “once I figure out why you eat them I will make sure that you never want to even look at one ever again”. This sounded terrible, she was promising him a pathway straight into the abyss. The pancakes tasted very nice……. He opened his mouth and received another portion of bliss.

Mertha looked at him with a smile that made him slightly warm inside “gooood girl, eating your whole meal! Now then, if I had my way I would simply spoil you all day, but we have an errand to run”. He broke out of the deep blush and embarrassment. An errand? Perhaps a possibility.

He tried not to look insulted “is that how you look at us, like animals?”. Mertha might be nice, but she was also an affini. Small amounts of condensing were tolerable, but calling the doctor a vet? That was a bridge to far.

Mertha looked at a data pad that she had retrieved from somewhere “are you ready to go, your appointment is in a bit over half an hour. Its only 10 minuets from here but I think we can use some extra time”. Oh right, he was still recovering.

This would be the first time that he stepped out of the hab “what if anyone recognizes me? Or someone is looking for me?.... I don’t”. he felt several vines wrap around his arm.

The air outside of the hab was fresh and a perfect warm temperature. The corridor outside was not a tight and cramped metal tube but rather something he would expect in an apartment building. This was not to far from the truth as Mertha guided him to an elevator that they took down to a cozy street. The roof was to far, far up. It looked like a city, just with far friendlier planning and more cafes.

The florets looked either supremely blissful or were looking at their owners with undying adoration. Was that how he had looked while Mertha shaped his mind? better not to think about it.

She looked down on him concerned “perhaps I was a bit optimistic, do you want me to carry you the rest of the way?”. Mertha wanted to carry him, in public?!

After making sure he was safely secured Mertha begun to move. they made the same distance in 30 seconds that they had made the last 10. In no time at all they had made it to the clinic. A small green and yellow building made of the same plant matter that dominated affini engineering.

Mertha walked over to the check inn desk, the plant sheet made it a bit difficult to see but it was clearly a human. Mertha sounded quite friendly “hi there little one, I’m here so your mistress can give my ward a checkup”

His relaxation was interrupted “mistress is ready for you now, door at the end of that corridor. Good luck!”. So, a human was still allowed to work despite being a floret. Allowed to hold any power? Doubtful.

The center of the office was dominated by a short desk, behind it sat a rather large affini. There was a small chair on his side of the desk that he was gently guided to sit in.

The stranger gazed down at him from above “hello there, I’m glad you could finally make it. I’m Vonzin Therli, seventh bloom, she/her” she extended a vine for him to shake. That voice sounded familiar.

The huge affini let out a slight chuckle “so you remember me, how nice. I was the one who first treated you as you got abord.” Her vine was still waiting in the air, right, he had not jet introduced himself.

The affini stood up, oh stars she was tall “doing some self-discovery? That’s wonderful. If you ever decide to start on class-G I would love to be the vet to start your treatment. But that is for another time, now then. How are you feeling ?have you gotten enough to eat and what about sleep?” The last two questions seemed to be more directed a Mertha than him.

Vonzin looked at him with cool eyes for a moment “I shall be honest with you, when you got abord you were a mess. Wounds, burns, broken bones, a polluted blood supply, malnourishment. None of that could compare to the damage your overzealous work had done to your body. Had you maintained a situation like that for a couple more days, you would probably have fallen into a coma, or worse”.

He swallowed “how long until I can operate normally?” the affini seemed to mull the question over.

Mertha put a vine on his shoulder. Right, she would help him, for now at least thing were not too bad.  

He stood up and almost slipped but Mertha steadied him. that walk had really taken a lot out of him. with only a bit of help he got into the chair, at least it was made for human Hight.

Vonzin pressed something on the screen and the machine made a low hum “there, that should about do it”. There was a surge of refreshing cold released from where the thorn was piercing him. Mere seconds later he was feeling far less sore and more clearheaded. The vet handed Mertha a paper “most was fine, but he is still eating too little. There was also somehow a bit of residual blood pollution, it must have been in his systems a long time to not be flushed out first time. I did an extra test, and it looks like we got it all out”.

He did his best not to gag, the vines left his mouth a few seconds later. The vet looked content “does not seem to be much of a problem for now. If they remain for a decade or two they could probably damage some tissue. We can replace them with something better once he has fully recovered”. Again, she was mostly talking to Mertha, he guessed the vet’s name did have some legitimacy.

When they were finally ready to leave Vonzin took out a lollipop from a large bowl. She presented it before his face “you did well today. Have a lollipop”. There was no sense or sarcasm or taunting in her words. Did that make it worse? Yes, it defiantly did.

He was scooped up into Mertha’s vines once more and the plant sheet allowed him some respite. He heard Mertha say something, but he was already drifting of to sleep.