Head in her hands, Eryn breathed an exasperated sigh, and answered the latest of Piper’s admittedly endless string of questions. “For the last time Piper: the Affini Compact is a post-scarcity society. You can just get whatever you want for free when you want it. Excess luxury for all is kind of our whole thing.”

 

Piper scratched her chin, and nodded sagely. “So what you’re saying is… I don’t have to pay rent? And nobody is going to force me to do work?” 

 

Frustration flared in Eryn’s—or, really, Piper’s—big, expressive eyes for a moment, then faded. She shook her head. “No, you don’t. Poor dear. Honestly, what kind of nonsense did those rebels and capitalists fill your head with? Nobody in the Compact means you any harm whatsoever.” Her tone had softened considerably, leaving a sympathetic, and slightly chiding smile. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to settle in, get used to all this.” Eryn made a sweeping gesture over Piper’s small, soft body; her annoyance was once again plain as day. 

 

On the other side of Eryn’s living room sat a couch, an affini sized couch; Eryn fixed her gaze upon it, staring the piece of furniture down with the sort of intensity and determination typically reserved for a lifelong rival or insurmountable obstacle. Taking a deep breath, the be-humaned affini clenched her jaw, then crossed the room in a series of long, powerful strides—long and powerful for a Terran, anyway. She neared her target, and, with a quick burst of speed, flung herself toward the cushions. To her credit, Eryn managed to get most of the upper half of Piper’s body onto the couch. Flailing her little legs helplessly, Eryn tried, and failed to haul herself the rest of the way up. In the end, her arms gave out, and she tumbled down to the padded floor, landing on her rear. She slumped forward, then turned around to lean her back and neck against the footrest. 

 

For her part, Piper was struggling to suppress a squeal. Watching the clumsy, uncertain affini-turned-terran try, and fail to scramble up the oversized couch had to have been the most adorable thing she’d seen since stars knew how long ago. Unfortunately, the feeling didn’t last. Once Eryn settled against the couch, her face fell, drooping into dejection, uncertainty and shame. Piper extended her vines, and took an uncertain step forward. “Hey, hey,” she soothed. “It’s okay. Do you, um, do you want help?” 

 

Scowling, Eryn, looked to the floor, then back up at Piper, fidgeted in place a bit, then threw her arms up in defeat. “Fine, fine. Do it. Help me up.” 

 

One thing was for certain, Piper didn’t need to be asked twice. She calmly crossed the room in a few strides, knelt down, scooped Eryn up in her vines, gave her a quick, comforting squeeze for good measure—Piper couldn’t resist—and set Eryn down atop the couch. Satisfied, Piper glanced about the hab, realized she didn’t really have the slightest idea what to do with herself, and sank into the cushion next to Eryn, leaving a relaxed, but not cold amount of distance between them. An uncomfortable hush fell over the pair as they sat idly with little to do but stare ahead at a gigantic, but blank TV screen. Eryn was clearly on edge, continuously fidgeting and breathing quiet little groans. 

 

After a few minutes of silence, Eryn’s frustration seemed to come to its head. She released one last low groan and pounded a little fist against the cushion. “Ugh, stars, this is ridiculous. It was all supposed to be so damn simple and Bramble just had to—never mind. Hab? Turn the TV on, something from my ‘to-watch’ library.”

 

Suddenly, a cheerful voice rang out from somewhere above them. “I’m sorry, cutie! You don’t have permission to control that device! You’ll have to ask your owner!!”

 

This time, Eryn’s groan became a barely-contained guttural scream. “Listen to me right now, hab! I am not a floret! I am Eryngium Soetis, Second Bloom; this is my hab unit, and I am your administrator! Remove all floret based restrictions… please and thank you.”

 

There was a pause, then the voice picked back up. “I’m sorry, cutie! You don’t have permission to edit user profiles or access restrictions! You’ll have to ask your owner!! But thank you for asking so politely like a good girl!!!”

 

Eryngium’s fire sputtered, then faded as she deflated, and drew her legs inward. Poor thing. “Hey,” Piper murmured. “It’s okay. Let me see if I can do it.” She cleared her throat. “Uhhh… Hab? Please turn the TV to something in my ‘to-watch’ library, and also please give my uhm… pet? full access to your features.”

 

The hab spoke again, still cheerful, but lacking an obvious helping of condescension. “Sure thing; I’ll get that taken care of right away!” At that, the screen flickered to life, displaying some random plant show. One which, truthfully, Eryn did not seem particularly interested in at all.

 

“Thanks,” Eryn murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. Nevertheless, Piper swelled at her appreciation.

 

“Of course uhh… Eryn. It really was no trouble.” Piper gave a warm smile, and scooted just a little closer. 

 

Huffing, Eryn shook her head. “No that’s not it. I mean, you do know the reason the hab didn’t work for me is because I set it to not work for… well… the person in this body, right? Typically that would mean you. And yeah I totally would have given you some permissions once we figured things out but all this demeaning stuff,” she gestured around the room. “The oversized couch with no easy means of terran access, the condescending hab that only works for affini, and honestly, a few more things too, all of that was set up to make you helpless and dependent on me. And you would have liked it, because I would have made you like it.”

 

Admittedly, Piper hadn’t really thought about it that way. But at the same time, it was hard to be mad at someone so vulnerable and—truth be told—adorably pathetic looking. “Well, if you were going to make sure I enjoyed it, what’s stopping you from just—I dunno—treating this as a vacation, and enjoying the opportunity to not have to worry about anything?”

 

“That’s not how it works,” Eryn insisted, rolling her eyes. “I’m an affini. You’re a terran. Terrans, or at least terrans like you, are happiest when you’re getting doted on and cared for and loved. Whereas most affini, myself included, are happiest when we’re doing the doting, and the caring, and the loving. Making others happy is what makes us happy. And yes, not all Terrans are happiest as pets either but the point is, I’m not meant to be a pet. You, however, are.” With that, she folded her arms under her chest, and fell silent, the matter apparently settled. 

 

“Well, that sounds like soft bioessentialism to me but also I can see how cultural, historical, and other environmental factors would contribute to both sides of that equation and these sorts of questions aren’t really something I’m able to tackle so I won’t. And if anyone were ever to, hypothetically, write down the story of what's happened to us, neither the hypothetical writer, nor any hypothetical readers would be well served to think too hard about that either," Piper replied, completely settling all matters and implications related to difficult moral and philosophical questions.  

 

Eryn fell quiet, scrunching her cute little face up in thought, before shaking her head, and grumbling. “I’m sorry. I just—I had this whole night planned out for you. After Bramble got you to submit I was gonna take you home, settle down with you on the couch and hold you close in my vines so you’d feel nice and safe and comfortable. And I did my background research, you know? Just before I left for Bramble’s lab I cooked one of your favorite foods, and I prepared a whole collection of media you like for us to choose from. I even went to the nursery the other day to graft on the best possible strains of xenodrugs for your body and needs. And now I’m just—I’m stuck like this.”

 

Piper listened to the girl with perplexed interest as she explained her plans. Something just wasn’t adding up. “So wait—if you really did do all that, go through all that effort then well… I guess I just don’t get it? Like, what’s the catch?” 

 

Perplexed, Eryn cocked her head, staring up at Piper with a slightly lost, very adorable expression.“The catch? What do you mean?” 

 

“The catch, y’know? You claim you went through all this effort to make a nice impression on me, but then you turned around and tried to mind control me into being your property? There’s gotta be some downside. When comes the part where you force me to do some gross or menial task, or where you torment me for your sick amusement? If you just wanted a mindless, permanent blissed out slave you could have that, no need to do all that nice stuff.”

 

Judging by the look she received, Eryn clearly thought Piper was a complete fool. “Stars, you still don’t get it. There is no catch. There is no secret back room where the bad stuff happens. This is it. I, like most affini, want a companion whom I could love and treasure and dote upon. You were the one I was supposed to get. Nothing else to it. I just wanted to make you happy.” 

 

Huh. “Huh.” Truthfully, Piper wasn’t sure if she believed that. But she hadn’t exactly seen much to suggest otherwise. For all her bluster, Eryn was clearly a sweetheart. “Well, if you went to all that effort, why don’t we take advantage?”

 

“What do you mean?” Eryn asked. 

 

“Well,” Piper began. “You’re gonna need to eat something, right? Last time I checked, humans need that. And I dunno much about how the science works there, but I imagine if it’s something that I would really like then it’ll taste good to you in my body too.” She shrugged, then continued, her tone softer, more soothing. “And you’re clearly really wound up, so maybe if we both took some time to relax that would be nice?” 

 

Blushing, Eryn stared at the floor, and pouted. “It’s not that simple,” she mumbled. 

 

Sensing the conflict in Eryn’s tone, Piper pressed her. “Why not? I’m sure you of all people know that human bodies need proper care.”

 

“It’s not that,” Eryn grumbled, pulling her legs up into her chest. “It’s just, y’know, I’m—I’m freaked out, okay? And you—listen I don’t hold it against you or anything—but you’re a feralist. I don’t exactly feel great knowing a captured rebel who I was about to forcibly domesticate is running around in my body and could just abandon me here like this. Plus, getting stuck in a terran body is a nightmare. Affini bodies have been perfected through millennia of bioengineering. And now, all of a sudden I’m in this tiny, fleshy body that’s a product of the whims and whiles of evolution. I’m weak and helpless. I can’t even get up onto my own sofa, or work my own hab AI without help anymore. I’ve literally lost access to entire senses. The whole rotting world looks huge all of a sudden, and my own kind see me as some adorable pet.” As she spoke, Eryn’s voice—or, Piper’s voice, really—grew increasingly distressed.

 

It took an incredible amount of self-restraint for Piper to not simply scoop Eryn up into a viney hug. Instead, she opted for something a bit more diplomatic. “Okay, well is there anything I can do to help you feel better?” 

 

Eryn shook her head. “Probably not, no,” she began, only to trail off, and go quiet for a few moments. She grimaced, then muttered something under her breath, before putting her head back against the sofa, and huffing. “Excess amounts of distress can be very unhealthy for Terran bodies. And as your—as the affini who was selected to be your caretaker—I’m responsible for ensuring the health of both you, and your body.” She seemed to be lecturing herself more than anything. With a defeated sigh, Eryn nodded. “Yes, Piper. There is something you can do to make me feel better… As much as I hate to admit it.”

 

Genuine relief flooded through Piper as she felt vines she hadn’t realized she’d tensed begin to loosen. “How’s that?”

 

Eryn muttered something to herself, then scooted closer. Perching on her knees, she placed a hand on one of Piper’s vines, tracing it to a small yellow flower. “This one,” she said, pushing at the base until a tiny needle poked through. Satisfied, she moved on to another vine. “This one, and, for good measure, this one too. Inject me with all three, and I’ll be fine for the evening.”

 

Suddenly, Piper felt nervous, what, exactly, was Eryn asking for? “What will they do?”

 

Cheeks reddening further, Eryn tensed, then answered. “The first one is a type of Class-A xenodrug. It will make contact feel very soothing, and calming. The second one is a Class-C xenodrug. That will boost your body’s—my current body’s—bonding response in such a way that will make me trust you, and feel safe. The last one is a Class-G xenodrug. Think of it like your terran HRT, but far more advanced. That won’t really help right now, but since your long term wellbeing is my concern, we may as well.” By the end, she was trembling, barely speaking above a trembling, hoarse whisper. Then, without warning, she gave one last hurried addendum in a strained shout. “But I’m only letting you do this because as an affini, your wellbeing is my responsibility, and it would be unhealthy for your body to be under constant stress until Bramble fixes its machine.” 

 

Try as she might, Piper couldn’t fight off a smirk. “Of course, Eryn. I understand. Are you ready?” She paused for a response. Eryn nodded, and, in one deft motion, Piper stung her with all three needles. The effect was almost immediate; Eryn winced, shivered, then stared up at Piper, with a mix of fear, uncertainty and anger. It didn’t last. Piper watched in fascination and adoration as slowly, Eryn’s expression grew dazed, dopey. Her scowl relaxed into a distant smile as all the tension in her body evaporated, and she began to look upon Piper full of longing, and awe. 

 

"Wow, um…” she slurred. “I think maybe you gave me a bigger dose than I should’a had. But tha’s okay. No negative side effects, just… really strong. Do you uh—do you think maybe I could have a hug?”

 

The almighty herself could have descended from the stars and offered Piper the whole universe on the condition that she say no, and Piper still wouldn’t have been able to resist those pleading eyes. “Of course, Eryn,” she cooed, wrapping the little—affini? Terran?—in her vines. Without warning, Eryn slumped forward, and curled up against Piper’s chest, sighing in contentment as a peaceful smile crossed her face. Piper couldn’t help herself, operating on pure instinct, she began to stroke and pet Eryn all over, watching in delight as Eryn responded in kind by nuzzling and leaning into her more with each stroke. 

 

The rest of their night passed in a blur of affection and doting. Piper helped Eryn with dinner, then carried her to the couch so they could watch whatever was on TV. Eryn happily settled into Piper’s lap, and hardly breathed so much as a single grumble of protest while Piper spent the remainder of the night just doing what came naturally: fussing and doting on the little sophont in her lap. It didn’t take long for the precious little one to fall right asleep.