It started in the dingy domicile of a probably dead denizen of Halcyon IX. The pungent smell of ashy rain and the inane ramblings of a half-mad Naval supplicant well on his way to full madness were the only things that populated the room. The echoed sounds of their impending death or capture racing its way through their minds like a vicious virus of thought. Now she sat in a clean cell, spacious in its confinement. The walls were decorated with the uncanny valley of Terran art -- all familiarity, no soul. The furniture was needlessly lavish, emblematic of the conspicuous consumption that had ravenously devoured the upper echelons of Terran society. The floor was soft, cushioned by a carpet made of a material that was unknown to the girl, only adding to her unsettlement.

It was too perfect a cell. It was seductive in the way that it pulled one in, promising the riches that a slumrat had never before felt while hiding the true cost. Lily knew better, her mind was sharped by over a decade reveling in the squalor -- my Halcyon days, she thought bitterly. The thought of the irony turning sincere by its juxtaposition with what promised to be the rest of her life left her deflated.

She had to give credit to Zena. Knowingly or not, she had placed her in a double bind the likes of which was frustrating to untangle. She either accepted the splendor, lived at the lap of luxury with the price being the cold iron of a collar around her neck, or she turned away and was met with the pain of refusal. Zena had demonstrated just how deeply her convictions ran, just how far she was willing to go to preserve Affini domination. Whether she internalized it or not, she could be pushed to true violence to defend her aims, of that Lily was sure. That left her no closer to an answer; if anything, she was further away now than when she held the vain, childish hope that perhaps Zena was ignorant of the subtextual threats that underlay their society. Oh how Faust would laugh at the bargain laid before her.

Lily stood from where she was gingerly set down after their argument. After refusing to respond to her repeated pleas for forgiveness, Zena had given a sad sigh and left Lily in her room. What her owner could possibly be doing after losing control as she had was beyond Lily's imagination. Every instinct within her now screamed at her to run, to make a break for the door and leave this lush prison behind. Of course, what had eluded her primal instincts was the fractal nature of the prison she found herself in; outside her cell was another cell, outside of which was another cell. Every layer she escaped led to another that risked her capture.

She placed one foot in front of another, her steps on the sumptuous carpeting filling her sensation with beautiful comfort. It didn't take long to reach the site of her first petulant outburst, the barrier made of furniture that had bought her nothing but a momentary satiation of the scared voice inside her that told her to do something, to make reaching her as hard as possible. That voice had been with her for as long as she could remember, it's shrill notes of anxious worry constantly pushing her to insulate herself from a chaotic universe. Perhaps before it had truly saved her hardship, but so outmatched was it by her current situation, so dwarfed by the magnitude of the power she was against, that it was reduced to meaningless gestures at self-pacification.

She could hear the door open behind he as she finished her trek over the artificial mountain. The furniture obscured her vision of her captor, but there was no other that it could be. The elegant look of her faux-human facial features, the way her vines moved with trepidation despite her position of authority, the care with which she avoided the various smattering of objects that had been left discarded on the floor during the rearrangement, all pointed to Zena. "You're back," Lily remarked quietly, an element of surprise leaking into her voice.

"Yes, little flower, I have returned." Zena tried desperately to meet eyes with the little sophont, but the armoire impeded her vision, and if she moved then the armoire was solved but now a desk blocked her vision. As it was with the armoire and the desk, so it was with the rest. Ever did the little sophont move such that there was something between them, blocking her from fully seeing the sight which she yearned for so dearly.

"Are you here to physically assault me?" The mirth in Lily's tone was new. The cosmic absurdity of her position so thoroughly infected her that she couldn't help but find amusement in the bind she had been put in. After all, if there were no escape, then why not have fun with it? The Affini found the new tone perplexing, taking a step back as she reconsidered her approach to this conversation. Tilting her head, she tried again to meet the eyes of her floret; to her joy, their gazes met for the briefest of moments.

"Not unless you ask me to," Zena replied. Her voice was teasing, but in a stilted manner. She had more to learn regarding the way humans communicated through innuendo and irony, but the point was delivered effectively enough to earn a smirk from Lily. Zena's heart soared at the apparent progress.

"I can't imagine that I would," Lily started, an eyebrow quirked, "it seems to me that I've asked for quite the opposite at every opportunity." Lily turned toward the window on the far side of the room, the artificially natural light flooding the room in comforting warmth. She turned her head back toward the Affini to emphasize her point.

Zena caught herself before she retorted, her mind brewing a dark scheme. Perhaps, just perhaps, there was a way to press for something that would be good for the both of them. Her vines silently crept up the furniture and readied themselves to support her weight as she spoke, "Oh Lily, my sweet, sweet floret. I don't think you understand." Her vines pulled her up until she stood on top of the furniture, leaving her flower fully exposed to her. No longer could she crudely hide herself away; Lily would have to brave the full brunt of her owner's gaze. "I could see the look on your face when I put you in your place, I saw your eyes dilate as you stared into mine, and I could scent your pheromones as clear as day." With every word, she brought herself closer to Lily until she stood face to face with her. "You and I both know that you didn't want that to end with me bringing you back in here."

Zena's face was inscrutable. Lily couldn't focus with her blood rushing through her veins so loudly, every pump of her heart feeling like a hammer striking an anvil in her ears. She tried to break her gaze with the Affini, but some force held her in place. Her body didn't want to look away, it wanted to stay drenched in that flowing metallic gaze for the rest of time. Zena's words forced her to remember how she felt during their last encounter. Can she really smell pheromones? Does she know?

The smug smile etched into Zena's expression was infuriating. There was no telling what that newfound knowledge would entail for Lily's future, what Zena would be willing to do if she knew. Shame. Shame built in Lily's gut. She knew that she shouldn't be attracted to her captor, that she shouldn't want to be around her, that she had every right to hate her, but it didn't change the feeling in her gut. Lily shook her head, trying to control her body and breaking the gaze, "No, no. This is wro-"

Lily was cut off by a vine around the back of her neck forcing her head forward until they met Zena's lips. They were soft and gentle, the feeling magnificent against her own. Lily bit back a moan as she shared her first kiss in years. The isolationism in her heart roared against the imposition, but the adrenaline that pumped through her veins, the butterflies in her stomach, silenced it in quick order. The vine around the back of her neck didn't leave, but instead curled its way around her neck, applying light pressure with a lingering promise for more should Zena decide.

The Affini broke off the kiss, prompting an involuntary whine from Lily. Zena couldn't help but smile against her, the pride in her gut mixing with the lust so beautifully. The girl's face burned with a blush, mortified that such a sound had escaped her lips. "My poor, poor little flower. You want it so bad, but you won't let yourself have it," Zena cooed, enjoying beyond words the look on Lily's face as she grappled with her inner turmoil.

Lily's breathing became more laboured, it was getting harder and harder to focus on the sight in front of her as he knees became weaker and her mind was filled with all sorts of sinful things. Slowly, it was getting easier and easier to stop listening to that voice that told her it was wrong, easier and easier to just let it happen.

"All you have to do, pet, is say four simple words and I'll take you," Zena paused, letting the thought sink into her pet's addled brain, "All you have to say is: I am yours, Mistress." The vine flexed momentarily around Lily's neck, eliciting a breathy moan. Zena's hand traced idle circles around her breasts, her stomach, her sex. Seconds passed, Lily's face screwed up in concentration, trying desperately to sort her thoughts and come to a decision.

All at once, Zena's vines and hand stopped their ministrations. All was still. "Well, pet, if you won't say it, then I suppose I will have to stop." As the Affini took a step backwards to disentangle herself from her floret, the girl launched herself at the Affini, wrapping her arms tight around her core. "No! Please, I'm sorry. I'm yours Mistress, I'm yours," her voice was wavering, almost incomprehensible through the emotions that welled in her throat.

Zena's smile, all satisfaction and victorious jubilation, grew ever wider on her face. Her eyes sang their vibrant gold exultation as she said, "Well, pet, you know what to do." Zena extracted herself from Lily's arms and bent down. With their eyes at equal level, her voice steely and unyielding, she commanded, "Kneel."

Lily was caught within a whirlwind, her emotions spiking such that they overrode her mental faculties. Whatever Zena asked for she would receive. She dropped to her knees instantly, staring up at the large Affini with an unbidden reverence. Lily's every sense tingled with arousal; she inhaled deeply, loving Zena's fragrance dancing in her nose. She reveled in the luxury of touch as vines delicately caressed the tips of her nose and chin and circled her cheeks, sending chills down her spine and causing goosebumps to rise on her arms and legs.

"Now pet," Zena breathed deeply, exhaling a shaky breath at the arousal they both felt deeply, "I believe I should be thanked properly for taking you in." Lily's innocent eyes stared up at the Affini, her compliance coming as a matter of course. Before her brain had even processed the request, her lips moved, "Yes, Mistress. Please, Mistress." Zena's hand came down to run through her hair, before she intoned, "Good girl."