Venisin watched her floret stir, ever so slowly, out of her drug induced slumber. The implant had replaced most of Kira’s spinal cord. She didn’t quite understand the Terran cultural obsession with catgirls, but she’d read enough of Kira’s browsing history to know it was something she shared.

The ears had been easy to add, and would improve her Affini language comprehension as well. The extendable claws were a surprise, and so was the vine-tail hidden inside her spine. Venisin looked forward to popping them out at the least opportune time. 

Kira stirred again, and Venisin laid a gentle vine against her cheek.

She left it in place, gently stroking, while she moved the rest of her body to the kitchen. It only took a moment, but by the time she’d finished cutting the fruit and plating the snacks, her floret was awake.

“Hello, little thorn (love, adoration, possession-of-floret)”

“Hi –––“

“Mmmmm, that’s an English word. You can use Teacher for me, and Affini for any other Affini you don’t know. (satisfaction, possession-of-floret).

She waited as Kira shivered. Her body was still sluggish and drowsy, but her pupils dilated instantly. “Yes, Teacher. (adoration, affectionate-respect-for-one-with-more-experience)”

Her floret’s responsiveness was absolutely lovely. That she’d talked with Sarah enough to realize Master was a word Affini generally only used for outsiders–usually negatively–made her vines tingle as well.

Her floret cared for nuance, and all those little pieces of effort she put into her submission meant the world to Venisin.

Instead of dwelling on it, she popped a piece of cheese into her floret’s mouth. She’d taken inspiration from one of the hypnotic triggers Zanya had described in Kira’s ownership transfer video and used the implant to greatly increase Kira’s baseline sensory sensitivity.

Doing it in software via hypnosis had been clever, but unlike Zanya she was from a post scarcity progenitor species. She could use hardware for her fancies.

Either way, it meant that every slice of fruit, every piece of meat, every cube of cheese, resulted in pure rapture for Kira. Her floret couldn’t even find the words. Instead, with every bite she gripped Venisin’s vines, and expressed her gratitude by fruitlessly trying to crush them with her hands.

Between morsels she watched Kira gradually being to explore her new body. Besides the additions, she’d taken the time to strengthen Kira’s body structures. Reinforced ‘wood’ now ran through Kira’s insides, but occasionally on the outside as well. Technically speaking, the effect was a little like a flexible carapace cage. Practically, her floret would never see combat again, so this was just an excuse to create something interesting, inspired by blackwork tattoos she’d seen when she was researching Kira’s past.

Her floret ran a gentle hand over her body, felt the wood as it ran from her chin down her neck, splitting into two to run around her shoulder then re-connect down her side. The bands ran further down her hips and legs, circling her lower body.

“You made me a dryad? (surprise, affectionate-respect-for-one-with-more-experience)” she asked.

“Not quite, little thorn. (amusement, floret-being-adorable)”

She ran her hand back up, and noticed the ears on her head. “Ohhh, so the tones? (question)”

Venisin ran her hand through Kira’s hair in affirmation.

They went back to eating after that. Her floret was ravenous from her recovery. She saved the best bit for last: a chocolate covered strawberry, something else from the Terran’s past.

The plate empty, they went to the bathroom to get ready for the day. Venisin rustled in anticipation, it would be the first time Kira would see herself. There were some other changes that touch alone wouldn’t discover.

“I have cat’s eyes, Teacher! (surprise, joy, affectionate-respect-for-one-with-more-experience)”

She put her hands on her hips and turned to Venisin. “You made me a cat girl!”

“You know I have read your search history, little thorn.” 

Then Venisin got to watch the microscopic motions as his little pet flexed her hands and accidentally stabbed herself in the hips with her razor-sharp claws.

This time, she laughed. “Careful little thorn, or maybe I should say little claw.”

Her Kira ignored the blood running down her lower half and stared at the claws in wonder. She turned them this way and that in front of her, tried pulling the claws in and out, first all at once then one at a time.

Eventually she turned around and looked at Venisin, tears in her eyes. “Thank you. (gratitude, more-gratitude, affectionate-respect-for-one-with-more-experience)”

“There’s a tail too, but you don’t get that until you cultivate your next level. (humor)”

Kira responded by placing her right hand over her left and bowing. “Please teach me, Teacher. (affectionate-respect-for-one-with-more-experience)”

Venisin rustled in amusement, and they continued on to their commute. 

A few blocks away from their hab they ran into Cantilop Pepiin, Third Bloom. It looked like since last time they’d spoken he’d picked up a floret of his own. 

Venisin touched vines with Cantilop while listening in on the florets beneath them. A slight gesture held Caltilop off from talking. Her vines twitched in anticipation.

“Hi!” the floret said, “I’m Alice!” She stuck out her hand for Kira.

Kira blinked in confusion. Venisin saw just the slightest twitch as Kira almost turned her head towards Venisin, then got control of herself. Her shoulders sank down a little as she understood what had happened. “I’m sorry, I don’t currently speak English. (apology, desire-for-harmony)”

Venisin felt like she was sunbathing. Even the Affini language didn’t have the words to capture the beauty of both affirming something important to Kira–her proximity to Affini culture–while taking something away… And the way Kira sank into her submission every time it happened.

Her perfect little floret looked at Cantilop. “Can you translate for me, Affini. (respect, request).”

Cantilop, didn’t respond, and stared at Venisin instead. Then he remembered that declining be rude, no matter how bizarre the request, and looked back at Kira.

“Of course, cutie. (surprise, polite-acceptance-of-request)”

Cantilop bent down, and after a few moments the floret whispered something into his ear.

“She say she thinks your collar is very pretty. (compliment)”

Venisin watched as her floret blushed. “It’s lovely, and it’s also a part of me, it lets me do this. (joy, comfort, happiness)” She broke position, curled herself into Venisin’s leg, and began to purr. Venisin decided to permit the indulgence and ran a vine down her back.

Cantilop translated as Kira continued to purr, and the way the floret lit up and excitedly whispered back to Cantilop was just touching.

“She says it’s amazing and she wants one.(humor, amusement-with-floret)”

Cantilop glanced at Kira. “Is there a…? (question)”

Venisin got the meaning. She almost snapped a vine in front of her floret, then remembered she’d improved the programming.

“Kira, off, (COMMAND)” She watched in delight as her floret’s eyes glazed over.

“I’ve been reading the updates,” Cantilop said, “but it’s different to see it in person. How did you get her under control? (question, amazement)”

Venisin displayed a friendly smile on her mask. “She needed someone to listen to her, and to speak her language. (subtlety, care-for-floret, end-of-topic)”

They said their goodbyes after, and continued on to the cafe. Anna and Quercus had finished the day for them, but hadn’t kept it open otherwise. It was relatively normal for businesses to open and close inconsistently, and diners would understand. They’d send out an overnet ping announcing they were back, and their audience would return.

Venisin held the door open for her floret, and they walked into the restaurant. Kira immediately headed to the kitchen to check on their stored foods and make sure the stasis fields had all worked properly. Meanwhile, Venisin unfurled a bundle of vines and set up all the chairs and tables at once.

Kira wouldn’t expect the help, but it would make her lovely little floret happy to be assisted anyway.

When Kira came back into the dining room, she gave Venisin a shy, vulnerable little smile–the kind she couldn’t give when she still had walls up–then she walked over and kneeled at her feet. 

“Thank you, Miss trés (love, gratitude, word-play, affectionate-respect-for-one-with-more-experience)”

Venisin smiled, fangs out. “You know I’ll have to punish you for that. (no-offense-taken, playful)”

“Yes, Teacher. (love, gratitude, affectionate-respect-for-one-with-more-experience)”

“We’ll start with something simple, and handle the rest at home. (playful, anticipation).”

She used her vines to grab all of Kira’s limb’s at once. A command would make this easier, but she wanted physicality, struggle.

Her floret resisted, just so they could both feel the Affini’s superior strength, then surrendered when the fight was useless. 

Venisin used another pair of vines to remove her floret’s shoes. A quick dig through her cloak and she’d broken off two thorned strips of vine, and slipped them into the soles of the boots.

Kira’s eyes widened. Venisin placed the boots back on her feet.

Neither of them spoke a word–Kira didn’t even breath–as Venisin slowly, ever so lowly, lowered her floret back on the ground. She watched Kira’s pupil’s dilate as the thorns slowly broke through the skin on the soles of her feet. Now her floret’s breath was racing as she tried to process the pain.

She lowered the vines a little more, 60%, maybe 70% of the bodyweight down, and Kira closed eyes and tried to curl up. Venisin wrapped a vine around each of her thighs, and made sure she stayed up.

“You can do it, little thorn (faith).”

80%, 90%. Her floret’s breathing had calmed down. Little Kira had found her acceptance. She was standing now, albeit only gingerly. When they got home they’d find pools of blood in the bottom of the shoes.

Venisin let go with her vines. Kira took one step, then another. Her back straightened a little more, and a moment later she was using her normal gait. The only thing that betrayed the pain was a slight hitch in her breathing. It was absolutely adorable.

Venisin pet her pet’s head. “I love you, little thorn (love, affection)”

“I love you too, Teacher (love, affectionate-respect-for-one-with-more-experience)” 

Kira leant into the touch, then finished opening the cafe.

Venisin sat back in her corner and took out her data pad. It was late afternoon in the shipboard day/night cycle, but when she looked out the skylight Venisin saw they were passing over a moon, drifting between them and the planet below.