Chapter 12: Emotional Damage

Jewel felt like she was hyperventilating, but she was unable to actually break from the calmer breathing rhythm that she had been enslaved to. It was a familiar dread that had bombarded her as she felt her body grip the stun gun and bring it millimeters from Jaxx's skin. Their eyes as Jewel's mouth said those haunting, final words as she felt a finger squeeze the trigger. Watching the love of their life fall to the ground as a million volts blew out their nervous system, turning after a moment to see the Affini again. That Affini. The one who captured her and her love.

Can't get... plants out... of my head Jewel thought through the recollection as the dream flowed past her in murky oil colours, she was restrained, carrying out a script her mind was shackled to. Despite her best efforts every time she'd mentally thrash and struggle to stop this engineered nightmare from ending as it always did. This is how those fucking compost heaps are trying to break me she thought to herself can't break my spirit with their drugs now they're implanting false memories. She had to resist, no matter how many times those filthy fucking xeno bastards subjected her to this. She had to get out. She had to find Jaxx and escape, that's all that mattered. 

She awoke in the terribly familiar bed with it's siren call of comfort. Fuck. That meant one thing, the routine. Scrunching her eyes closed, Jewel took several deep breaths and tried to remember the plan she'd formulated, feign compliance, scout, learn, adapt, strike. Jewel chewed the inside of her cheek as she mentally prepared herself for the routine, as much as it sickened her to her stomach. 

And as if on cue, the Door opened and the Affini bitch named Rimu smiled at her with those vile eyes. It's various vines and foliage exuding that unnatural 'emulation' of a human one, mockery of the most terrifying and revolting kind. "Good morning" it said with that condescending, superior voice. "I hope you're feeling well today little one" it continued, more mockery baked into every single fiber of its being, its voice like an audible plague that assaulted Jewel's ears. 

"Hello, Miss Rimu." Jewel said, very reluctantly. She didn't need to pretend to like being here, just feigning her surrender to these... things. 

"Why it is a wonderful morning little Jewel. I hope you're ready for a wonderful day ahead." she, it, said. "I've already prepared your breakfast, are you in a breakfast in bed mood or an eating at the table feeling?" the thing cocked its head to the side, as if Jewel couldn't smell right through the illusion, the goading disguised as pleasantry. One option was still better than the other, which she'd learned the hard way. 

"At the table please, miss Rimu" she said, only barely stopping herself from saying it through gritted teeth. She didn't need to pretend to like it, she just needed to feign surrender. 

"A wonderful choice dear." Rimu said, vines and ferns bursting in all directions as the next step in the routine played out beyond her control. First the blankets were pulled away, leaving Jewel feeling a faint longing for the relaxation their soft weight provided. Next her pyjamas were pulled off and one of those... floret dresses put on her, she kept herself from moaning from the skin-on-skin contact that elicited those disturbingly faint brushes by Rimu's appendages. Another tool in their arsenal of will destruction, she bit hard down on the inside of her cheek, raw already from all the biting. 

Before she could properly come down from the contact, a comb started going through her hair, gently undoing the knots that had formed during her sleep. The next moment she was fully clothed, a bow woven into her hair and purple tights pulled up her legs. I have to be strong... I can't let them win she thought to herself as she tried to distract herself from the exquisite feeling of the clothing she'd been rapidly changed into. If they win they'll show their true faces just as you become addicted to their faux luxury when they rip it from you.

Next the flurry of vines pulled Jewel from the little bedroom cell she'd been provided and placed her firmly down on the single Terran sized dining chair in the whole hab cell. A pair of vines pushed down firmly on her shoulders even as the Affini moved like an octopus, slithering through the room and over furniture into the kitchen, returning with...  As always the Affini seemed to know how to weaponize Terrans own minds and bodies against them, the smell of whatever food it had cooked up made Jewel salivate with just a faint whiff. 

"Now dear I'm still adjusting to cooking for a Terran palette, but I think you'll find this a delicious treat today~" Rimu said. Gah that voice, why must it hum like that? Jewel asked herself, this time properly gritting her teeth even as a ridiculously ornamental looking dish was presented to her. "I was searching through some of the lovely recipes from your old high-class restaurants" she, it said in that ever grating way. "And a name kept coming up, Egg's Benedict, I knew I had to give it a try" she said. Finishing the table set with a big pitcher of the coloured liquid the Affini seemed to drink on the opposite side of the table and a knife and form next to the plate, handles pointing towards the Affini as it took its place opposite the Terran. "I'm not entirely sure who'd name their descendants Egg but when in sloan." she said with a grin. 

Jewel kept chewing the inside of her cheek, fuck it was painful but it was better than having an outburst, giving the Affini a vector to get even more involved. Even so, Jewel found herself unable to look away from the inescapable, irresistible smell and image of the Eggs Benedict. Stop looking at it, she's only going to draw it out. Jewel thought, kicking herself for her failure in discipline and will to call Rimu it. "The phrase. Is when in Rome." Jewel replied, trying to keep the contempt from her voice. 

"Ooooh I see, so when you roam around, you do as the roamers. Thank you dear, your insights are incredibly valuable into Terran thought patterns" Rimu replied, all innocent looking but Jewel knew that look in its eye. It fucking knew it was playing with her. There was honestly a whole mental tirade Jewel could have gone into that was shattered by a simple tap of her chin. Open up. She opened her mouth, even as she saw Rimu dunk a pair of vines in the pitcher, a moment later and her mouth exploded in unbelievable, magnificent, mockingly delicious flavours and textures as her food was chewed for her. Rimu's vines gently moved her jaw up and down, stopping her from swallowing, even if she was inclined to in a sudden moment of weakness, no she had to swallow on the Affini's timetable. 

This was all part of the routine, what wasn't was the presence of another... Affini. Jewel's eyes widened as she saw familiar bark plates adorning an Affini who was intently picking away at some pile of electronic scrap. Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit sh- Jewel thought to herself as comprehension dawned with a terrible clarity. THAT'S THE Affini WHO GOT US she thought as flashes of the dream-memory bubbled up to the surface of her mind. 

The other Affini tilted its head, as if to mock her. Damn fucking beast, it must have asked to be here, watch to see it's prey squirm punishing her for her proud resistance to plant tyranny. Plates of bark, like armour, seemed to contract around it light it was getting ready for a fight. Was this it? Were they going to let it finish what it started in her dreams? I'm not going down without a fight she thought. 

The lump of mulch across from her said something in that strange, alien, revolting language the Affini had, their real language, one they'd never speak to humans because they knew it'd reveal their evil intent. Bastard liars always talking in that disarmingly soothing voice, rotting noble Terran minds. Before she even knew it really Jewel was fighting, struggling, wanting to get at that Affini and tear into its pseudo guts, render it into a garden salad, screaming at the top of her lungs in fury and fear.

In her anger she almost missed the tell tale beeping and flashing lights on her prison collar, fast blinking yellow shit shit shit shit shit shit shit she thought to herself as the threat of another agonizing eternity reliving Jaxx's capture roiled up. She stopped, breathing in a deep breath, breathing out, trying to stabilize her heart rate as quickly as possible, you're better off still awake so you can figure out your plan she thought to herself bitterly. She had to find a way to excuse her very un-placid behaviour if she wanted any hope of pulling any of this off. 

"Are you ok dear? I didn't expect that to happen when you saw gentle old Kauri. What's wrong?" the Affini feeding her asked, those poison honey words slithering into her mind. 

"I see that one..." Jewel started, chewing the inside of her mouth, "That one in my dreams. A part of me just knows it spells death for me." she said bitterly. 

"Kauri? Don't worry dear, xyr are incapable of hurting even a dust bunny, even if xyr were inclined to. Xey just have a little anxiety"

Likely story, Jewel thought, it's clearly geared up for a fight and I'm not letting it out of my sight. The Affini looked at her before looking away. trying to guess my escape route... clever thing, but don't worry, I will out smart you. I'll out maneuver you. I'll mulch you. she thought, trying to out stare the Affini, even if it's own disgusting alien eyes made her dizzy for some reason. 

wait... she suddenly thought to herself, blinking and finding her head on the plate of food in front of her again, scrunching her eyes several times as she tried to recall the last ten seconds. So caught up was she that she barely noticed that Rimu was making her chew more of the food. Wow that food really is delicious. Faintly in the background she recognized some form of language, but didn't understand the contents.

...