It is the first day of the third month of Rayne’s life as a floret, and today is the day Azalea will make her first ever attempt at preparing her pet a meal. Rayne, having just finished tidying up the hab, breathes a satisfied sigh, and settles on the sofa for a bit of relaxation and TV. That very moment, the door to their hab unit bursts in, Azalea tumbling through the doorway and skidding to a halt just before the sofa. A wide grin touches her cheeks. Clutched in her vines is a brightly colored bucket. 

"Darling!” She whoops. “I was just running errands! And I thought to myself: you’ve been such a good girl for me, you deserve a treat! So I went on the net and looked up what terrans like and I got you something really special. I’m sure you’re going to love it!” Practically vibrating with excitement, she slams the bucket on to the coffee table, sending some of its contents flying. 

Already brimming with delight, Rayne perks up, and dashes forward to see her treat. "Aww, Mistress!” She fawns. “That's so thoughtful of you! You’re definitely right, salt is absolutely one of the most important flavors in terran cuisine. But, you see, something most people don’t know is that it’s actually bad to just eat plain salt by the spoonful,” she explains, just as Azalea dips an oversized spoon into the pile of salt. 

Azalea freezes. Her eyes dart from the spoon, to her pet. The sudden rustling of vines and leaves breaks the silence as she flops forward. “Really?” She groans.

“Really!” Rayne gives an enthusiastic nod. “And It’s not nearly as tasty in that quantity, and can have a dehydrating effect. But it’s okay! I’m so happy you thought of me regardless. Thank you for the present, Mistress! I’ll be able to make good use of all this in the kitchen!”

Now fully deflated, her face pressed into the sofa cushion, Azalea groans. “I knew I should have gone with that soil I saw. It was full of nutrients and vitamins and all sorts of healthy things.”

Rayne gives a passive smile, then raises a timid finger in objection. “Actually uhhh… Mistress. That’s probably not very good for me either. But I can see why you might think that! And I’m sure it would taste delicious if you picked it!” She takes one of her owner’s vines in her hands, and gives it a gentle squeeze. “I still really appreciate you putting this much thought and effort into my happiness, Mistress! You’re the best!”

With a huff, Azalea picks herself up, considers her pets words, and nods sagely. She then leans back, taking a seat atop the coffee table. It snaps under her weight, spilling salt across the floor of the hab. 

“Mistress!” Rayne yelps. “Are you okay?” 

“I think so!” Azalea grunts, rolling onto her side. A playful grin tugs at her lips. “I was actually meaning to redecorate, we can call this step one.” 

“Wow! What a great idea! Did you also mean to redecorate our front door? I think you might have torn it off its hinges when you burst into the hab. Remember: it’s a pull, not a push.” 

Azalea glances back toward the entrance, then shrugs. She sits up, then notices the mess she made. “Oh, dirt!” She cries. “ I made a mess, and you just cleaned the hab, didn’t you little one?”

“I did!” Rayne cheers. “Thank you so much for making another mess! I love getting to clean for you!” Standing, Rayne helps her Mistress stand, then dashes down the hall to grab her cleaning supplies, eager to spend her afternoon serving her beloved owner. As Azalea moves to follow her pet, her foot lands inside the bucket, which slides along the pile of salt, and sends her sprawling right back onto the floor. As she topples, a spray of salt scatters across the floor, while the bucket flies through the air, and embeds itself in the television screen.