Exdela stood firmly like a Terran Oaktree over the soft bed that Magnus lay in, an occasional vine travelling to make sure Mabel was sleeping soundly too, She’d barely left the room ever since she used a Class Z to stop the panic attack he seemed to be close to having, Her Terran would understand it, she was sure of it but she felt almost unworthy of being his Owner after being unable to protect him from that fear and panic, Florets are supposed to be promised an idyllic life of happiness yet Magnus had felt more fear then a Floret should ever feel just a few hours after agreeing, Exdela felt as if she might have failed as an Owner, If it might not be better for someone else to take him on as their Floret… But he had been willing to sign a contract to volunteer for domestication so maybe someone else becoming his owner at this stage would just cause more harm.

She looked down at Magnus for a time, sleeping restfully on one of the traditional Terran beds she’d fabricated, He had a small drowsy smile on his face laying there which was absolutely adorable to look at and it filled Exdela with the feeling that he just had to be Hers, Surely with some Xenodrugs, Hypnosis and some Affini care he could become such a cute and adoring pet.

They still had the issue of his sister however ‘Maria Ferocium’ according to their records a pack leader among the silly Free Terranists, She had somehow made contact with the Affini through the overnet requesting to be able to speak to Magnus and attempts to find her ships location had come up with nothing, She’d certainly have a lot of Affini competing over her adoption given the mystery she’d prompted among them but reaching that stage seemed difficult and Magnus didn’t seem to take Involuntary Domestications very well, She felt so tempted to use a Class B Xenodrug and make him forget about the whole situation, He’d wake up feeling safe and happy as her pet-to-be and she’d be able to cure him of the last vestiges of the pains of former Terran society and mold him into a perfect little Floret right next to Mabel, the kind that would make all of her friends that hadn’t taken on Florets yet jealous indeed, Her instincts almost screamed at her to prepare an injector of Xenodrugs and lead him on his life of lazy blissful happiness but then she felt a slight tug on her vines.

Concerned Exdela turned around and found her adorable Floret Mabel had awoken and quickly wrapped her vines around her in a hug “Good morning precious one. How are you feeling?” Mabel looked up at her with a classic Floret look of sleepy adoration on her face “A little hungry, Mistress” Exdela slowly cupped Mabel’s face allowing her a perfect view of the wide-eyed reverence on her little Terrans face while she allowed the soft thumping of her core to gently soothe her into a fluffy relaxation “I’ll make some breakfast for you dear” Exdela tenderly released Mabel and unwilling to allow Magnus to sleep out of her sight she carefully began to lift him out of his bed whilst ensuring that her precious Floret’s sleep wasn’t disturbed until he was sleeping deeply cocooned within her vines. 

Exdela left the bedroom quickly followed by Mabel, She was excitedly playing with her collar, wearing it proudly with a glowing smile, she had taken to domestication very well, few would realise looking at her that she’d only signed her contract yesterday, Some sophonts seemed to have just been born to become Florets in the gentle vines of the Compact.

“Any preferences little sprout?”

“Hmm…Could I have a peanut butter sandwich Mistress?” 

“I think that’s a great idea flower”

Exdela playfully ruffled her Floret’s hair making her grin before moving to prepare some food for her Floret, She could have just fabricated it of course but Mabel could do that whenever she wished anyway, Exdela wanted to ‘put some heart into it’ as the Terrans would say and decided to make it manually, luckily she already had a batch of standard Terran food ingredients from when she was preparing her Hab for her Florets and so Exdela rapidly and with all the love she could summon made her Floret some food and soon after Exdela found herself softly patting Mabel’s head as she lay half on the couch and half on her Owner’s vines watching Affini television, Mabel seemed captivated by it but Exdela wasn’t paying that much attention instead grabbing her data pad to check in with Oleander, She had been thinking about the fragile sophont she had given to her, The poor thing seemed very averse to Xenodrugs but some standard Affini affection for cute sophonts seemed to break it down somewhat, She hoped that Oleander had achieved further progress on it.  

>>Purple Bloom: How have things been going with your Floret-to-be?

>>Breath of Life: My Floret now, she’s already signed her contract, cute thing, she melted in my vines so quickly. 

Exdela was taken aback for a moment. She was sure that Cecil would eventually be domesticated and get all the good things coming to her but she thought it would take a few days or weeks.

>>Purple Bloom: Already? 

>>Breath of Life: She’s collared, tamed and sleeping in my vines at this very moment, I’ve already got her implantation lined up.

>>Breath of Life: How are things with your two Florets? 

>>Purple Bloom: Mabel signed her contract yesterday, she’ll make such a cute pet, Magnus will too but he’s been having some issues. 

>>Breath of Life: What happened? 

>>Purple Bloom: His sister has become a pack leader of those silly Free Terran Feralists and Magnus seems to have a bad response to involuntary domestication and didn’t seem very willing to try a Class E or F to soothe those feelings

>>Purple Bloom: My vines feel torn over this, It’s my duty as his Owner to take care of him but this is the first time he’s clearly rejected something that I suggested, I considered trying a Class B to allow him to forget about the whole situation but I think I want to wait to see if Magnus would consent to it himself.

>>Breath of Life: Have you considered taking this Terran on as another Floret of yours? These rescuees haven’t been with us for long, maybe Magnus fears that she’d be mistreated by another Owner.

>>Purple Bloom: I considered it but I already have my hands full with two and I don’t know if he’d respond well to it, I’ll think about it but I believe a lot of Affini have already filed an application to domesticate her.

>>Breath of Life: What about a playdate with my newly minted Floret to take his mind off it?

>>Purple Bloom: I think he’d enjoy that, Mabel certainly would too, And I would certainly like to see how adorably tamed Cecil has become so quickly. 

>>Breath of Life: Cecil should wake up from her nap soon so you can bring over your cuties whenever you feel like it.

Exdela set down her datapad, She remembered being told that each pet is its own puzzle to unlock and understand and that certainly seemed to apply in this case, She didn’t feel too sure about if the playdate with help but she was sure that the eventual satisfaction of owning two adorable pets would certainly make solving the puzzle worthwhile, She looked down to Mabel, She seemed to be enjoying all the small headpats Exdela was giving her and looking down at her blissful smile made Exdela feel mostly contented in a way she never had before, She remembered being told that taking care of a Floret was the best experience you could have and it seemed accurate.

Magnus sluggishly opened his eyes and for a few seconds in a sleepy state he couldn’t comprehend what was in front of him but as his senses returned he soon began to clearly see the vines in front of him, He then also began to feel vines below him that he was laying upon, shifting around on his back he began to look around and saw in every direction more thick vines, He moved his hand to push against a vine but before he worked up the courage it suddenly uncurled and opened up revealing the face of Exdela? His Owner? He didn’t feel sure anymore, He’d felt so certain earlier but it was as if he’d been knocked out of a haze, all he felt was uncertainty.

“How are you feeling dear Magnus?” 

Magnus’s mind rushed with responses as he began to think over disputed feelings and events.

“I don’t… really know” He eventually responded, “What… happened?” He asked somewhat unsure in every word.

“Well you were sleeping dear, very adorably I might add” Exdela responded whilst her vines slowly reached in and began to pull Magnus out of the bed of vines.

“I mean before that” 

“Well…” She began seeming somewhat anxious, It was a strange site to see an Affini like that, especially Exdela, She’d always seemed to radiate confidence yet she seemed unsure of herself. “You seemed to be panicking so I gave you a Class Z”

The statement forced Magnus’s mind back to earlier events, He’d been about to sign his contract when he’d found out that Maaria was a rebel and was likely going to be forced into becoming a Floret, anxiety quickly returned as he recalled it all but also a sense of resentment that it had been concealed from him.

Exdela seemed to notice as his feelings changed and he quickly found himself inundated with petting vines and gentle cooing, He was tempted for a time to surrender to the blissful feeling that came with it, It had felt so perfect before when he felt totally willing to just sign over his rights to her and a part of him longed to just try and return straight back to that perfect feeling, to become a Floret just like Mabel but a part of him just couldn’t, a part of him full of concerns that Exdela’s vines just didn’t seem to resolve “Why didn’t… you tell me?” 

“About what sweet flower?”

“About my sister and…” Magnus pained to think about the forceful domestication, The mere idea in his mind filled him with distress and worry

“It would have worried you, dear, I wanted to show you the best of the Compact, How we can allow cute sophonts like you to live stress-free lives without any of the responsibilities you had on Terra”  

“But…” Magnus went to object but then his mind went straight back to the thought of his sister being forcibly domesticated, He desperately forced his eyes closed willing the thought to go away.   

“I won’t let you harm yourself by willingly keeping this anxiety for any longer flower, You can have a Class E to fix the feeling or I can try a Class B to remove your memory of it, You choose which.”

The sudden demand quickly took his mind off of his sister and instantly replaced it with another dilemma, Exdela had never been that forceful before and it was somewhat surprising he’d never tried either of the xenodrugs as well, The choice made him somewhat concerned but as he thought about it he remembered an old philosophical statement from Terra that every person is the sum of their experiences and taking away his memory certainly seemed like it would break this idea and make him less himself, A terrifying prospect, He wanted to know that his sister was around even if he didn’t like it.

“I’ll try the Class E” He eventually said somewhat meekly.  

“Good choice sweet flower” Magnus heard and almost instantly felt a prick on his arm which made him flinch momentarily.

Magnus layed back into the vines around him awaiting some kind of significant change or feeling, He didn’t really know what to expect but he certainly wasn’t expecting the nothing that he felt, He waited further and still felt no changes.

He looked up at Exdela who was smiling down at him “I don’t feel anything”

“Isn’t that what we were looking for dear? No anxious feelings”

Magnus’s eyes widened for a moment as he considered it, He quickly thought of his sister and felt no anxiety from it, He then tried further trying to think about forceful domestication and still felt none of that previous anxious distress “That’s amazing!” Magnus enthusiastically said, He could scarcely believe that the drug existed, That it could just remove anxious feelings in seconds.

“I’m glad you like it little one” She smiled back, “I think we should add it to a daily xenodrug regimen for you”

Magnus sat in silence for a time simply resting against Exdela’s vines and enjoying the freedom from anxiety when a curious question caught his mind.

“Am I your Floret?” He questioned

“Do you want to be?” 

“I… I don’t know”

“Well in a sense little one, It’s up to you, You aren’t a feralist and I believe you could live as an independent… But I do believe that you could really bloom as my Floret”

“I’m just unsure” Magnus responded somewhat downtrodden, He hadn’t felt this torn about something in a long time “The implant that Florets get is permanent isn’t it?” 

“You shouldn’t worry about the implant petal, I know it’s often scary for you Terrans but it’s very safe and I wouldn’t use it for anything you didn’t want”

“It’s not that it’s just that… It’s just that If I became a Floret I could never not be a Floret, I think… Well, I’m not sure really… It’s just… what if I’m missing out by becoming a Floret?” Magnus felt unsure to be rushing into a permanent change like that, It’s not that he didn’t trust Exdela, She seemed to have his best interests in mind but what if she was wrong and he’d prefer to live life independently?

“I would never let you regret becoming my Floret,” Exdela said quite gently her vines slightly hugging him closer yet Magnus couldn’t help but feel a vaguely threatening undertone from the forcefulness of it.

“You… mean you’d drug me?” 

“If you’d like, But we keep our Florets happy with more than Xenodrugs dear, There are so many activities for Florets on this ship that I’m sure you’d love, In fact, I had one specifically in mind”

“I… Maybe…” Magnus couldn’t lie, it sounded tempting, He could almost feel that amazing feeling he’d felt with Exdela yesterday, that feeling of safety and contentment. 

“Do you want to become my Floret then petal?” Exdela asked again, A kind of rising excitement in her voice

“I… I… I think so” Magnus replied unsure but confidence rising, He had barely finished his sentence when he felt vines strongly grip and hug him.

“Thank you for trusting me my dear Floret” 

Magnus felt a rising feeling of adoration swelling within him, It felt so strange, He had felt it yesterday but then it had gone away by the time he’d woke up yet now he felt it again.

“What am I feeling?” He asked finding the question odd to even say out loud.

He heard Exdela laugh lightly “That’s the bliss of a Floret your feeling dear, You can feel it for the rest of your life, I just need to make sure it won’t go away this time”

Magnus felt a small tint of fear at hearing the statement but it was instantly drowned out by the xenodrugs in his system and the loving vines surrounding him. 

“How?” 

“We’ll get to that part but first I’d like you to finish the contract you were going to sign” 

Magnus saw some vines uncurl allowing him to move around unrestricted, He saw a vine take a single piece of paper from the top of a large pile of papers and gently dropped it in his lap, He quickly read the contract, He hadn’t been able to read much of it the first time, It seemed shorter then he had expected it to be was his first thought.

1. Above all else, you, Magnus, must obey your Owner, Exdela Rine, Third Bloom in all things. This is for your safety, well-being, and care. 
2. Exdela Rine, Third Bloom owns you. You are her property. You do not have political rights in the Affini Compact. 
3. You do have a guarantee of your well-being, as defined in Section 57 of the Human Domestication Treaty. 
4. This guarantee of well-being does not preclude your Owner from disciplining you, as outlined in Section 61 of the Human Domestication Treaty. 
5. As the property of your Owner, she may add, remove, or modify conditions of your wardship at any time for any reason within the limits established by the Human Domestication Treaty. 
6. Your full name is Magnus Rine, Second Floret from this moment forward. 
7. Below this line are additional terms that your Owner, Exdela Rine, Third Bloom, has stipulated. 
8. To ensure your happiness and well-being you must tell your Owner whenever you are feeling anxious or distressed.
9. You must not communicate with any unbroken feralists without permission from your Owner.

Magnus read over it, Whilst he probably would have found it shocking only a few weeks ago it seemed to read how he expected it to from his time around Exdela except for one part.

“What does the last part mean?” 

“Your more gentle than you know Magnus and you seem to react badly to people being forced to do things so I believe it’s a good idea to keep you away from those kinds of situations that could upset you”

Magnus nodded, Out of sight out of mind he repeated in his head, It did feel slightly condescending for Exdela to treat him with such delicacy as if he was very fragile but a part of him liked it somewhat, A deep long hidden part of him liked the idea of being a fragile but well cared for pet.

His eyes caught the bottom of the paper, A small place for his signature to allow him to go past the point of no return, The final threshold to pass until he ensures that he will become a Floret, He felt a pen get gently placed into his hand and he gripped it firmly, eagerness and excitement increasing and slowly began to sign his name, his new name, Magnus Rine, Second Floret.

Magnus slowly finished his signature and gazed down at it for a moment before the soft vines around him began to move “Close your eyes for me, Magnus, I have a surprise for you” He heard Exdela request, He quickly obeyed in silence closing his eyes and waiting in darkness, only able to feel the relaxing vines around him.

“I’ve been looking forward to this moment more than you can know my dear pet” He heard followed quickly by a sharp clicking sound as he felt something firmly grip around his neck.

Magnus opened his eyes although he was already pretty sure that he knew what the gift had been, He saw a collar around his neck, It seemed to have the same white floral design as Mabel’s collar did, He slowly ran his hands over it enjoying the soft and smooth feeling. 

“I’m glad you like it my sweet Floret, There is something else…” Before Magnus could question he felt another prick in his arm. “That’s a Class C dear, It will allow you to adjust to life as a Floret easier” Magnus felt himself smile at the caring statement, When he thought about it maybe this was what he always wanted, To not have to work or even live alone and independently but to have someone always there to care for him.

“Cecil’s new Owner has invited you two over for a playdate would you like to go?” Exdela suddenly asked both of them.

“Yes, Mistress!” Mabel enthusiastically yipped. 

“I think I’d like to” Magnus began before adding “Mistress”

“Roots you two are adorable” Exdela’s vines lifted Magnus and Mabel with her and pulled them into a cocoon of vines as she opened the door to the Hab, Magnus could barely maintain his composure in excitement, Exdela was his Owner now and he was certain this time.