It was pretty common for Ophelia to have trouble falling asleep the night before a big event — the first day of shooting, a premier party, a charity gala.

That probably would have been the case last night, if it weren’t for the two beautiful plant creatures keeping watch over her. Miss Camilis had given Ophie something called hypnos xantha, a name that had gotten her incredibly excited until she found out it had nothing to do with class-H xenodrugs. Despite all her teasing, Camilis still had yet to use any on her — probably by design.

All she knew was that one moment, she had been tossing and turning in Miss Serafa’s leaves, complaining about insomnia, and then a white and yellow bud was pressed to her face. And now she was waking up feeling more well-rested than she had in ages.

Both affini were still sleeping, but she was wide awake, and there was work to be done. So she very carefully climbed her way out of Camilis’ enormous bed and scurried silently through the hab with the lights as dim as they would go. Down in her room, she checked the time and saw that it was barely nine o’clock. With so much free time, she decided to start by drawing herself a nice hot bath. Well, she didn’t so much draw it for herself as she had to politely and submissively request one from the panel in the bathroom. “Hab, would you please help me with the bath?”

“Of course, petal.” The voice piped out quietly, no doubt fully able to sense that the other residents were still asleep.

Ophelia undressed, pausing for a moment to look herself over in the mirror. While that whole implant thing was still a ways out it seemed, Cam and Sera had at least fitted her with a proper collar. The interwoven vines that made the base material were created from Miss Camilis’ beautiful green plant matter, while Miss Serafa had supplied the tiny, technicolor floral accents. The giant tub was still filling with water, so she allowed herself a moment to brush a fingertip across the surface, admiring the way the plants lightly moved and swayed in response. Maybe some people would be disturbed to think about this living thing being wrapped around her throat. But Ophelia found it filled her with a kind of peaceful assurance. Even when her affini were asleep in a different room, she still had this part of them with her. She couldn’t even imagine how much stronger that feeling would be when she finally did get her implant.

She must have been admiring it for quite some time, because she was snapped out of her daydreaming by the hab’s voice. “Your bath is ready, little one!.”

“Thank you so much,” she chirped before stepping up onto the raised bit of floor and then down into the recessed tub. Ophelia braced herself, but it wasn’t necessary. The water was perfect, because of course it was. Were the affini even capable of doing something imperfectly? If so, she wasn’t interested in knowing about it.

The material that lined the tub was designed to be malleable and padded. It was so easy to sink in and get comfortable no matter where you chose to rest. Once Ophie had settled in, she grabbed a nearby bottle of body wash and a scrubbing tool.

As soon as she applied it to her skin, she was struck with yet another wonderful experience. Miss Camilis had recently replaced her bathing supplies, and this new body wash was almost definitely laced with xenodrugs. Wherever she scrubbed, her skin blossomed with a wave of delicious feelings. It wasn’t quite as mind-melting as the real stuff — if anything, this made her feel more energized and ready to face the day. That was just as well. Had the effect been closer to those class-As, she might have never left the bathroom! And today was not a day to get distracted.

---

It was nearly an hour and a half later, and Ophie felt like she could take on the world. She was wearing her cutest forest green companion dress and some matching shoes. Her makeup was as expertly applied as it had been in ages. She’d even managed to wrangle her hair into a pair of long poofy pigtails.

Practically bounding into the kitchen, Ophie stopped long enough to once again ask the hab for some assistance so she didn’t rouse her habmates. “Sweetie, do you have a way to dampen the sound in here? I was thinking I might listen to some music and I don’t want to disturb the others.”

The simulated voice giggled cheerfully. “That one’s easy-peasy, cutie!”

“Oh wonderful, would you give me a nice little sound-proof bubble then, pretty please? Hmm… Rose installed a bunch of that old terran jazz didn’t she? I should listen to some. Could you do that too?” As she enlisted the house to assist her, she began fitting an apron around her torso. It was likely unnecessary, since she wouldn’t be working with anything terribly messy. But there was nothing wrong with leaning into that centuries-old housewife look.

“Such a good girl, it would be my honor!”

There was a strange sound from all around Ophelia as something in the hab walls shifted. A moment later, some gentle piano began to fill the space. Her hips swayed in time with the easy, syncopated beat as she sashayed her way over to the preservation unit. While she removed various ingredients from the shelves and brought them over to the terran-sized counter, Ophie hummed along — at least where she was able to pick up on the melody of the song.

She could have compiled this meal, but she was dedicated to making everything about today perfect.

Reality melted away until there was nothing in the world but her, this kitchen, and that wonderful old-timey music. Ophelia could have simply stepped her way along the counter to grab up the casserole dish, but she couldn’t help herself, and instead dramatically twirled over.

On her propped-up tablet, Ophelia pulled up the recipe she’d found and began double-checking everything. She was no cook, but this was simple enough that even a silly little future floret like her couldn’t screw it up. Boil up the noodles, grate an unwise amount of cheese, chop a few veggies, prep some lab-grown meat, toss it all into the pan and heat it for the designated amount of time.

The only disappointing thing was that there was really no way for her to make anything for Cam or Sera. The affini didn’t need much beyond their special water. But she’d at least managed to find a compiler code for a darling punch bowl that would be perfect for the two to mingle their vines in. Stars, they were so cute together. Ophelia couldn’t help but wonder if she had played some unintentional part in their union. Her role may not have been very big, but it still made her feel like Cupid to push those two beautiful nerds together. It didn’t hurt that she got a second owner out of the deal.

The meal was really all for her and Rose’s sake. That, at least, she was happy to take some proper credit for.

Rose — her buff, sexy companion. They hadn’t really qualified their relationship yet, but Ophie had been in her share of nebulous relationships. And most of those had been short-lived and unstable. This was… new. And it made her excited and nervous in equal measure. Those class-Gs had really been doing good work. Even after just a few days, Rose was already shining even brighter. Her hair was growing in beautifully, if a bit shaggy. Her shape had shifted ever so slightly with just a hint of a chest growing in. Some selfish part of Ophie prayed that Rose kept at least some of those muscles, no matter how soft she might get. Those arms were… Mn. They were very good arms. Still, there was nothing wrong with a soft, squishy Rose either. No doubt, whatever path the woman took, it would be hot.

Those words from the other day rattled around in her head. Florets pinnate. The whole domestication thing still clearly weighed heavily on Rose, and it wasn’t as though Ophie could actually blame her for that. She totally understood that hesitation. But stars, did it sound heavenly. Still, she forced herself to not push too hard. Pressuring Rose to become a pet just for that would be selfish and shi— Gah, no bad words. Selfish and… rude.

So Ophelia would have to learn something she still wasn’t very good at — patience.

She let all this roll around in her head while she worked. Before long, she had everything prepared. With a few taps on the heater unit screen, it fired up faster than any terran machine ever could. Ophelia carefully set the container inside to cook, then stood back with a satisfied sigh.

While she waited for the casserole to bake, Ophelia danced her way over to the compiler and began feeding it the data packets so that it knew how to print the last few necessary components. She stood and watched as the borderline magical technology printed a perfect wicker basket and a decorative plex bowl.

The kitchen door slid open and a bleary-eyed Rose came stumbling through, yawning softly. She stopped suddenly when she saw Ophie, head tilting as she processed what the music playing was. And in an instant, her cheeks turned a deep red. “O-Ophie…”

Giggling bashfully, Ophelia played with the skirts of her dress and stepped a little closer. “I hope it’s not too much. I got a little carried away.”

Rose shook her head and closed the distance between them. Unlike Ophelia, she was still in the process of waking up, still dressed in her usual pajamas of lounge pants and a tank top. Even to an outside observer, it was pretty clear she was feeling some measure of inadequacy at the moment. Possibly even dysphoria. But she seemingly fought through it as she stepped in and wrapped her arms around Ophie, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Maybe. But you’re very cute when you get carried away. So I’d say it’s fine.”

Ophelia pressed a kiss to Rose’s bicep before nuzzling into her chest. Yup. Very good arms. “I want today to be perfect. And it will be. I know it.”

“You didn’t go to this much trouble when we filmed the other day…” Rose said softly.

“Well, other than that script I made — that got rejected anyway — it was just a thing I was doing. Another job. This is… different. This is all me. All us, I guess. It’s personal now, and that makes me nervous as heck.”

Rose chuckled softly, and with Ophie pressed to her chest, she felt it as much as she heard it. The effect was a little like what happened with Cam. She tried to not think too hard about that. “Completely off-topic, but it’s adorable whenever you have to substitute in a pseudo-curse.”

Huffing, Ophie wriggled her way out of Rose’s grip so that she could get some space and look up at her with a trademark pout. “I just—! It’s hot, controlling me to the point she dictates how I talk. Ya know?”

Some of that teasing warmth faded a bit as Rose looked down at her. She’d been getting a lot better with all of her… stuff. But it was still easy to pick out whenever something triggered her. “Doesn’t it ever bother you? She snaps her fingers and now you aren’t allowed to say certain things.”

“Babe… This isn’t like that. She isn’t trying to shove me into a mold against my will. This rule, it’s a challenge for me, sure. I wasn’t cursing like a star-sailor or anything, but I liked spicing up my dialogue with naughty words as much as any gal. Cursing is a vocal crutch, an easy shortcut to express certain things, and she wants to curb that instinct. Still, if this actually bothered me, then I could just tell her and we would figure out what to do about it.”

She looked genuinely surprised to hear that. “Really?”

Ophelia smirked softly. “Cam and Sera have made it clear over and over. The main thing they want is that we’re living our best lives. Sure, once I’m officially domesticated, they’ll have a bigger say in what my best life might look like. But they just want me to be happy. And…” She felt her smile turn a bit more earnest, bashful. Her cheeks grew warm. “I-I trust them to know me, and to do what’s best. If they ever screw that up, you can bet I won’t stay quiet about it. They know that too. Neither of those two gorgeous aliens are going to do anything with me or to me that I’m not fully and enthusiastically into. Unless, of course, it’s because they want to introduce me to something new that they already know I’ll like.”

For a while, Rose was silent as she gnawed on her lower lip. “…I-I don’t know why I said it like that. Trying to imply either of them would ever abuse your trust… I know the affini aren’t my parents. They’re not the navy. But still, I only just got free, really. So I don’t know if I can just jump right back into a system where I’d be giving up my freedom all over again.” It looked like maybe she was about to say something else, but Rose stopped herself at the last minute.

In spite of any daydreams Ophelia was having, in that moment the only thing she cared about was being supportive. She laid her hand on the woman’s arm and lightly caressed up and down. “Then don’t jump.” She wasn’t sure if she really meant that, exactly. But she knew that Rose needed to hear it. And comforting her was way more important than silly fantasies.

The look of surprise on Rose’s face said she didn’t fully believe what she was hearing either. “But what about Cam’s whole… grand plan? Both of us, domesticated, pinnates and all that?”

Ophelia smiled, even though it felt like the hardest thing to do. “It’s a really beautiful idea. But it’s just an idea. Miss Camilis has them constantly. I’m positive there’s an entire folder on her tablet that’s just documents detailing all her evil schemes. But you’re a flesh and blood person. You’re… my person…” she muttered bashfully.

If nothing else, that last bit seemed to get through to Rose. Which was good because it felt incredibly cheesy and embarrassing to say out loud. “O-Oh…” She flushed and stammered, so at least both of them were now awkward messes. Rose reached for Ophelia’s hand, only fumbling slightly before managing to get a strong grip on it. “W-Well, it’s not like I’ve made any official decisions yet… Besides—” She was cut off by a beep from the heater unit. “You should probably get that. Wouldn’t want our lunch to burn.”

Ophelia giggled softly and gestured to the machine just as it made a new noise, a subtle whoosh as the unit safely expelled most of the heated air safely to the outside of the hab. “You think the affini would be so sloppy as to design an oven that could ever burn something? You’re not getting out of this that easily. What were you going to say?”

“Mnf… Can’t blame a girl for trying. I was just going to say that… that I guess… I’ve been putting off really figuring it out. You jumped right in, fearlessly. I don’t know how to be brave like that.”

Gently, she pulled Rose’s hands to her lips and kissed the middle knuckle. “You’re gonna talk to me about bravery, Miss ‘Squad of Four and a Pea Shooter’? I fell into all this as easy as breathing. I might almost say it was selfish, if it wasn’t so reciprocal.” Ophie pressed another kiss to the knuckle of her index finger. “If the whole concept really eludes you that much, it might be time to get proactive. You and Sera still kinda vibe with each other, don’t you? Ask her for, like, a demonstration.”

“Mnf… B-Bravery is a lot easier when it’s your job…” Poor Rose was somewhere between flustered and confused. “Wait. Vibe?”

“Yeah, uh… Stars, I can never remember all the smart stuff Miss Camilis says… Bio-something? The point is, you two have a connection even if you’re not doing that whole fake domestication thing. So just talk to her about all this stuff. Because, putting all emotional maturity aside for a second, mama wants that sweet, sweet implant.”

That bit of silliness finally broke the spell of their serious conversation and Rose let out a loud laugh. “There it is. I knew your true intentions would come to light sooner or later, Miss Merrill.” She leaned in and gently nuzzled her nose against Ophie’s. “Let’s finish putting all this together, then you can help me get ready.”

Ophelia gasped excitedly and gave Rose one last tight squeeze. “Deal!” She pulled back a little and reached up to run her fingers through Rose’s scruffy hair. “First things first… we should deal with this. You’re getting an adorable pixie cut, young lady.”

---

Camilis woke up to find that her bed was missing a terran. She carefully extracted herself from Serafa’s vines and put herself together, then rumbled out the obvious query to the hab system. “Hm, where has our darling floret-to-be absconded?”

There was a soft chime indicating that the computer was processing her request. “The little cutie has been quite busy this morning! She’s already cleaned and dressed herself, and now she’s bustling about the kitchen in preparation for your big day!”

From beside her, Serafa chittered with amusement as she began pulling in her limbs as well. “Mmm, how industrious. Sounds like she’s still got a bit of an independent streak. We’ll have to see what we can do about fixing that!”

Once she drew her vines together into a hand, Camilis reached over to playfully poke Serafa in her chest while it was still knitting together. “I do not know about that. I believe there is a terran saying based on a classic novel… It is a ‘catch-22’. Ophelia has a willful nature to her that I find quite precious. And yet, as you say, breaking that willful spirit would prove very enjoyable. Whatever are we to do?”

“It would seem we’ve once again found ourselves in a tricky situation, darling.” She laughed in her usual high, whirling way, but after a few moments it died out.

Serafa did not have to say anything. Camilis already knew what was keeping her dear companion from fully participating in more silly dramatics. Reality continued to press down on their happy little home. After the four of them had shared that wonderful evening together, no further progress had been made on the subject of Rose’s domestication, nor her feelings toward the concept. In fact, it had not escaped Camilis’ notice that occasionally Rose would find excuses to see herself out whenever either of them would begin playing with Ophelia, at least beyond any basic cuddles and pets.

Her dear companion sighed wistfully and was starting to deflate. Camilis had done her best to gently but unsubtly prompt Serafa to be more proactive with matters. But she wondered if it was officially time to encourage her more forcefully. Moving her hand up, she lovingly cupped Serafa’s face and locked eyes with her intensely. “My love…”

“Ah?”

“I believe the time has officially come. We cannot possibly pretend any longer that there is no connection between yourself and Rose. I understand how distressing it can be, to think that after all this, she might choose to remain independent. But it is just as we told her the other day — she will still be a part of this family. She will continue to be a wonderful romantic partner for Ophelia, no matter what they might decide their relationship to be. And she could still be a true joy to have around. But she must decide. And it will be far easier for Rose to make that choice if she fully understands the link you share, and what her life as a pet might look like.”

Serafa emitted a high-pitched whine, all of her vines momentarily wriggling outside her control, breaking the illusion of her bipedal form briefly. Eventually she managed to regain her composure and sighed softly. “Obviously you’re right. Frost, just thinking about it all makes me feel so overwhelmed! But even when I think about what might happen if she says yes, I get just as anxious! I haven’t had a floret in two blooms!”

Leaning in, Camilis captured Serafa’s lips in a distracting kiss. As she did, she made her rumbling more pronounced. She continued this until Serafa finally got the hint and started emitting her own tremolos. As she held her, she guided her partner until their noises coalesced and harmonized.

This carried on for a while, until it seemed as though Serafa had managed to stop succumbing to her worries.

Camilis pulled Serafa into her arms and held her tightly. “Oh, dear one. I understand, truly I do. And you know that if anything should go wrong, Ophelia and I will both be only too happy to dress any wounds that might be sustained — for you or for Rose. We have spent longer than we should have, living quietly. We deserve to experience something grand, but that requires a few leaps of faith. Talk to Rose, investigate your connection, show her just how varied domestication can be. And if nothing else, trust that I know what I am talking about.”

That earned her the laugh she’d been hoping for. Serafa hugged Camilis a bit tighter, idly nuzzling into her chest plates. “That’s actually not a bad point. You’re very wise, darling. And you haven’t led me wrong yet. Though you do enjoy getting a lot of teasing in along the way.” She laughed a bit more before glancing over toward the control panel on the wall. “Hab, is Ophelia still in the kitchen?”

“Yup! Not only that, she’s got a friieeend~!”

“I am still not certain how I feel about this particular voice program. The enthusiasm is cute, initially, but it does lack a… sense of reliability.” Camilis hummed thoughtfully for a moment. “On the one hand, I do always adore seeing those two together. On the other hand, perhaps they might enjoy a bit more time alone. Besides, that ensures you and I have time alone as well.”

As was becoming one of her favorite sights, Serafa swiftly turned from her usual vibrant white to a glowing teal of embarrassment. “Can’t say I’d complain about that.” Without missing a beat, she broke her form back down so that she could entwine herself within and throughout Camilis’ body.

Shocked by the sudden, flirtatious intrusion, Camilis burst out in deep laughter and wriggled around. “Ah! Stars…” As she felt her darling’s core brush up against her own, she couldn’t help but address the horse in the room. “I hope you are not attempting to emulate Hesplex with me, love. We are not nearly so… obnoxiously in-sync as they are.”

“Perish the thought! I much prefer being us. Though I do wonder what our conjoined name would be. Serilis or Camafa?”

Camilis continued to laugh, grateful that her darling could bring out this side she normally kept so subdued. “If we must, then I would much prefer Serilis. It has a far more delightful ring to it.”

Serafa kept right on wriggling around inside her, tickling her, causing her laughter to grow brighter until the two of them were a mass of writhing plant matter and joy.

This went on for long enough that Camilis began to lose track of the time. One of them would manage to suppress their giggling, only for the other’s laughter to push them right back into silly delight once more. But eventually they both came down from their high, and spent an equally long amount of time entwined together, snuggling silently, merely enjoying the peace.

At some point, Serafa gently pierced the silence, speaking softly, but with impressive conviction. “I’m going to do it. I’ll talk with that adorable little terran, tonight.”

“I am so glad to hear that,” Camilis said, feeling pride suffuse her every vine. “I believe in you. Both of you.”

---

The kitchen door parted and Camilis was greeted with a precious little scene. The two terrans were sitting at their smaller table. Ophelia was wearing one of her companion dresses, applying makeup to Rose, who wore a handsome collared shirt and tie with the sleeves rolled up.

With a gentle rumble, Camilis stepped in, Serafa in tow. “Well now, is this not charming? Look at the two of you.” She moved in closer, pressing a soft kiss to each terran’s forehead. “What a good girl you are, Ophelia! She looks just lovely.”

Ophelia beamed proudly. “It’s not like she needs the help. She’s already stunning…” With her thumb, she gently wiped away a tiny errant bit of lipstick before kissing Rose softly.

Understandably flustered, Rose fidgeted with her hands in her lap while kissing back. Once she was finally released, she grumbled and huffed. “I’m… n-not all that.”

“Ohhhh, I beg to differ,” crooned Serafa as she made her way over, wrapping her arms around Rose and hugging her fiercely. “You’re beautiful, darling. Even if you don’t see it in yourself, we all do. And we’ll support you and hold you and tease you until it sinks in.”

That only made her flustered blushing worse, but Rose was definitely smiling now. “It might take a while…”

“We have all the time in the world, little one.”

Ophelia picked up the basket and leapt down from her chair excitedly. “Exactly! Plenty of time to tease Rose later! For now, we’ve got somewhere to be!”

With a flourish, Camilis lifted up the large bowl and used a stray vine to grab a container of nutrient water from the cooler unit. “Quite right, little one. After all, we have propaganda to create.”