Before Alathea was due to make her appearance Danae gave clear instructions that would keep Kurt out of the way during the visit. The poor dear got far too stressed as it was, and she didn't want to put him through meeting the Affini until she could get a read on whether they could come to an agreement. She was sure that Alathea would enjoy having him around, he was such a sweetheart, so he could wait until things were more certain. 

"Bonnie please feed Kurt and yourself dinner in the kitchen, and then take him out for a walk this evening. Keep him distracted however you want, and don't let him stress too much. If he spends the evening in puppy space or in trance so much the better. I will pass your regards to Alathea, and provided we get on there will be every chance for you to spend more time with her ok?"

Bonnie nodded "Yes Lady Danae, shall I still prepare dinner for everyone else?"

"No thank you dear, I will send the troublesome two out for dinner and eat myself after Alathea is gone. My stomach is a trifle upset at the moment so I will just have a sandwich or two before then. They have been keeping a low profile today so I want to show them that as their punishment is done no hard feelings remain." Danae sighed, "If you could let them know they get solo date time tonight, we will arrange for family time later and they can dish out the surprises they got for us then."

"Of course my Lady, do you need anything else now?"

"No my sweet maid, that will be all. Enjoy your evening." She smiled at the pretty maid who curtsied and then headed off to organise the family. 

******

Alathea was feeling extremely curious about meeting Danae, the Terran had been spoken of highly by the three submissives she had met so far. She pondered about what Danae would make of her. Alathea was a lot older than many of the Terrans realised the Affini could become, she had passed over 1400 Terran years in total, and had experienced much in her current bloom. The Terrans were delightful, and would undoubtedly make adorable sweet pets for many Affini across the galaxy. They strived so hard to get where they had come, and really they deserved to be looked after. The Affini were the constant, but it would be interesting so see how the Terrans developed under their caring hand.

As she walked from her hab unit to the Terran style house that Danae's family lived in Alathea thought about the interactions she had so far. Little Bonnie was so sweet, and simply adorable. Very susceptible to the natural rhythms of the Affini body too, and the way she reacted to the vines, simply wonderful. Harley and Noor were interesting in their own right, very different to the sweet maid, but both had thrown interested looks at her vines when they thought she wasn't paying attention. Noor was quieter than Harley last night, but Alathea had the feeling that alone with Harley she probably talked their ear off. Given that there was a very strict agreement in both of their contracts that they not be separated for more than two hours, Alathea would like to find out more about why that was. How could she possibly help these darlings properly without all of the information? Of course she didn't need it to help them, but the more she knew the better help she could provide from the start. Danae had clearly done her best for them, but only an Affini could truly look after others properly. They were happy enough, but clearly not perfectly so if they still worried over Bonnie's safety.

Hmm best not to say that to Danae though, she didn't want to hurt the Terran's feelings over this.  She felt Danae probably didn't view things that way. Alathea intended to ask why Danae was seeking to become a floret. Surely they would be able to continue their life together here as they were? There was no requirement for them to become florets, and those with strong family often did not seek care on their own. It was something of a puzzle to her.

Honestly provided she and Danae were able to get along she did intend to offer for them, the three she had met were just so cute! From the way Bonnie talked of Kurt he seemed positively darling. Alathea imagined that the care and reassurance he needed would be more than rewarded with the fun she could have playing with him. 

This time when Alathea rung the doorbell she was greeted by a very curvy woman wearing a simple dress and heels, she was positively short compared to her lovely maid and was about half of Alathea's height. Her long auburn hair flowed down to her waist, the shiny mass was wavy with the odd curl. Around her neck she wore a silver key necklace, all in all Danae was dressed simply but elegantly. She hesitated a little before greeting Alathea.

"Welcome, I assume you must be Alathea? My name is Danae, head of this household. It's a pleasure to meet you." She stared up into Alathea's face. "I had intended to invite you in to my study so we could talk, but I fear you wouldn't fit well into the room. Terran homes really aren't designed for those of your stature."

"Hello Danae, I must confess I have been inside the house but it was rather a squeeze. Would you prefer we go to the cafe I took your maid to? I can request a private booth without any issue if you wish to keep the talk between the two of us?" Alathea had been prepared to relocate the meeting if her size proved to be an issue, not many Terran style housing units provided enough room for an Affini to be comfortable. She had in fact already organised for the private booth to be available for the two of them.

Danae hesitated for a minute, and Alathea hurried to assure her. "Don't worry, it's an Affini owned establishment if you were worried about the judgement of those who have yet to be properly cared for by the Affini."

Danae nodded her head at this as if to agree, but Alathea sensed she hadn't quite hit on the right concern. 

"I will fetch my notes if you don't mind, I will be out shortly." Danae hurried off down the hall, leaving Alathea waiting on the street. She returned shortly with a large pale pink shoulder bag that perfectly matched her outfit, leaving the house she locked the door behind her and met Alathea on the sidewalk. 

Danae's hair moved in the gentle breeze, the skirt of her dress ruffling as she walked, she looked positively adorable. Alathea had to fight the urge to use a vine or two to ruffle the hair and tease the skirt. She didn't think the Terran would appreciate being touched without consent. They strolled towards the cafe without saying much, just the occasional comment about the changes that had happened to the colony planet since the Affini had arrived. As she had when she had taken Bonnie out the day before Alathea ordered for both of them, and then ushered Danae to a small private booth at the back of the busy cafe. 

******

After taking her seat Danae took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Alathea had been amiable so far, but all Danae could think about was all the ways that this could go wrong. Her mind coming up with contingency plans to control the fall out for each of them. It didn't do to focus on them but having the plans in place soothed her. Clearing her throat she addressed the Affini sitting opposite her.

"I wish to offer an apology for my rather rude subs. They should never have followed you to your hab unit, nor should they have bothered you about what you were doing with Bonnie. I assure you both were punished in a suitable fashion." She swallowed a little and continued. "They both mean well, and would do anything for the family but it was unconscionably rude."

"Think nothing of it, their protectiveness was absolutely charming. I would do nothing to hurt a hair on Bonnie's head but I understand that these things can be confusing. Especially for species that are still in the midst of being educated about the benefits of Affini... care. I would also like to extend an apology, I should have been in contact before coming to visit. I was simply so excited for a chance to meet such a fascinating group of Terrans. While I have had beloved florets before I had until yesterday not actually met any Terrans. I was in fact asked for advice on how to best place you from a dear friend, and was so interested by the prospect I am afraid I came to this planet on a whim." 

Danae's face relaxed a trifle and she simply said, "Thank you for the apology, it is appreciated."

Alathea smiled at her and asked, "Why are you so interested in becoming florets? You seem to have a very happy and stable family unit. While we Affini are naturally the best at caring for others, there did not seem to be a pressing need for you to seek this out. Many, many Terrans have yet to see the benefit of Affini care and will risk their very lives foolishly to avoid it."

"We are stable and happy at home yes, but... what our family is, how we are... it is not acceptable to many Terran societies. It seems like the further you get from Terran soil the more parochial views are. We quite frankly have been in danger many times before because of who we are. We somehow seem threatening to those who do not like us, and our lifestyle." Danae stated quietly. She twisted her napkin around in her fingers and prepared to explain further when their order arrived, tea for both of them and some fruit filled pastries. Danae waited for the waitress to finish arranging the food and head back to the front of the cafe before continuing.

"I... have had to kill in defense of my family. Not a pretty or nice fact, and one I don't talk about much you understand? Harley had dressed a little too feminine for the area they were working in with Noor, and Noor and Harley - they are of different Terran races. Harley and Noor were surrounded by a a rough crowd, and Harley couldn't help but taunt them. They get... aggressive.... when they feel threatened. When I arrived to pick them up from work Harley was being beaten. I... I grabbed a heavy wrench from the workshop and started hitting the people who were beating Harley. It shocked the crowd I think to see a lawyer using violence and the crowd dispersed. Unfortunately one of the people I hit died because... I... I hit him in the wrong place." Danae stiffened up at the memory, one she usually repressed. Alathea needed to know what she was getting into - including what she was willing to do to keep her family safe. 

One of Alathea's vines twined around Danae's shoulders. The slight pressure helped ground Danae, made it easier to continue.

"The police finally came, of course once the crowd left, and I was arrested and Harley and Noor were taken to hospital. I spent several nights in jail before being released on bail. In the end it went through a full court trial, and it looked like I would be convicted for murder until a shop across the way provided my defense lawyer with footage of the attack. You could see the police watching Harley and Noor get surrounded, and Harley beaten without intervening." Danae shook her head. "I hate living anywhere where justice relies not on the police doing their jobs but the kindness of strangers. We moved here after that, we needed a new start. We haven't encountered any violence here but prejudice yes, and we are very very careful with who sees us interacting in public and how."

A second vine joined the first and another caressed her face. The worst was over, the Alathea now knew the ugliest part of her, and given the comfort she was receiving Danae hoped this had not put Alathea off. 

******

"You poor, poor dear. Why to have to deal with such brutality!" Alathea continued to use her vines to offer comfort and support until Danae's body relaxed and she was able to breathe normally. "You have been just so brave, and I am proud of how well you looked after your family. How adorably loyal of you!"

"Thanks... for listening... for understanding." Danae said softly. Alathea smiled at her gently, the silly girl didn't realise that anything done to protect her family would never be judged harshly by the Affini. Provided of course that once they were looked after they didn't display further violence all could be forgiven. Alathea was grateful that she had been called to give advice on how to deal with this family. She would solve that problem, she would make them all her florets! Why, anyone meeting her florets would be envious that they didn't have the chance to have such amazing little Terrans to look after. 

"Tell me dear, about your family. Tell me everything so we can work out together how to make everyone happy and safe." Alathea watched with pleasure at the way Danae's eyes lit up, and prepared to enjoy her evening with this adorable Terran.