Camilis lay on her bed with Ophelia wrapped up in her arms, rumbling softly in thought.

After a moment, Ophelia looked up at her, those lovely green eyes wide and full of curiosity. “What’s on your mind, Miss?”

“Ah, simply trying to decide which drugs in particular I want to use on you, little one.”

That earned her precisely the reaction she had been looking for as Ophelia buried her face against Camilis’ chest plates and groaned. “And what have you decided?” came her muffled reply, eventually.

To think, Camilis had gone so long without taking a new floret. How foolish, to let work get in the way of this kind of happiness.

Thoughtful rumbles turned to ones of amusement as Camilis slowly cycled through all her lovely new flowers. “You wished to ‘shut off’, yes? You do not want to forget anything, but you would enjoy having your mind empty for a while?”

“Mmn, yes Miss, that sounds perfect.”

“Alright then, we will take this slow. I want to be certain I am not overwhelming your system or accidentally discovering any allergies. That would rather ruin the magic, I suspect.” Ophelia was still under the effects of the azul molle Camilis had used to pacify her. As was common, she began with a base dose of euphoria carnatia simply because she liked to ensure that Ophelia felt such delight as often as possible. On top of that, she layered a small bit of praesidis lutea that would assist in driving away any further self-deprecating thoughts. Once the two were properly mixed, she injected the concoction into Ophelia’s arm before disposing of the spent needle.

Instantly, the girl sank more into her vines, moaning happily. Within a few more seconds, the excited wriggling began as her senses ramped up, her pleasure centers overwhelmed, her mind freed. Still, that was only the start. After all, it was not nearly enough to give Ophelia the empty mind she wanted. Camilis still had her personal quest to try as many combinations of drugs as she could on the wonderful little terran.

“So far, so good. I do not see any adverse side effects. Then I believe we can continue with the second injection.” With a new needle, she gave Ophelia a second mixture of drugs. This one was especially devious. And Camilis had no doubt that her little future floret would enjoy it too.

Most important was the corpus blance, forming the foundation of this creation. It would remove all control from Ophelia’s body until she was a limp, happy doll in Camilis’ arms. Layered on top of that was a light dose of lalia rubigo. While its ability to inhibit speech was redundant when she already couldn’t operate her mouth or vocal chords, it would also disrupt Ophelia’s ability to understand speech. After all, dolls did not need to understand language. All they needed to do was be pretty — and Ophelia was very pretty.

And finally, purely for her own amusement, she included a small sample of libris caeli pollen. A concentration this low wasn’t enough to activate the drug’s full capabilities. She would save that for another day. But it would give Ophelia a constant, low-grade warmth between her thighs that would continue to tease her for the next few hours.

With the injection administered and the second needle safely removed, Camilis felt that she had more than lived up to her promise to help Ophelia ‘shut off’ for a time. Now that all of the preparation was complete, Camilis was able to sink into her bed, wrap her arms nice and tight around her pretty dolly, and relax.

It was actually quite fascinating to sense the effects this cocktail of xenodrugs was having on Ophelia. While the girl couldn’t vocalize her feelings, couldn’t wriggle with delight, Camilis could still sense her biorhythms going wild.

Ophelia was elated. She was frustrated. She was perfectly at peace. She was utterly submissive. And as requested, there wasn’t a trace of fear or worry or conscious thought — from the top of her lovely, empty head to the tips of her precious little toes.

Camilis ran a cluster of tiny vines through Ophelia’s hair, and felt the visceral sensation as a wave of pleasure spread across her entire body. While the poor thing couldn’t control much, she still managed to produce a tiny, primal noise somewhere between a gasp and a whimper as her body shuddered involuntarily.

Brushing a hand down her arm, Camilis could feel all the tiny goosebumps forming along her skin. Even that simple motion was enough to draw another splash of pleasure and another tiny noise. “I said it before, and I will say it again, I am in awe of just how sensitive you can be, how receptive you are to my drugs…” There was something special about teasing her little floret-to-be knowing full well that not a single word would actually manage to pierce that thick fog of lalia rubigo that prevented her from understanding. Judging by the whirl of vibrations emitting from Ophelia, she was still able to comprehend tone, still fully aware that she was being taunted.

“Yes, very good, little one. You know without knowing. Like any pet, you recognize your master’s voice and respond to it instinctively.” Camilis could only imagine how powerful those instincts might become, once Ophelia finally had her implant.

Not wishing to overload the little human, Camilis put a pause on her assault and let her dolly collect herself. She could not be certain how long it might take for Serafa and Rose to work out their issues. So she was intent on drawing this out as long as she possibly could. She let the minutes pass, snuggling Ophelia more tenderly.

Only when the storm in her mind finally stilled did Camilis resume her affectionate caresses. She drew a tendril along the girl’s clavicle and watched with delight as her pupils dilated and her breathing hitched. Taking a beat, she rubbed her hand back and forth over Ophelia’s stomach and felt the way her muscles tensed, followed by another strangled sigh of elation.

“Every day will be like this…” she mused softly, as much to herself as to her human. “Our little family, growing closer, discovering more about each other. It will be a thing of beauty. I am not a petty woman, Ophelia. And yet I find there is a base part of me that wants nothing more than to see the looks of jealousy we will elicit as we go about our lives. I can almost picture it.” Camilis sighed happily, once again halting her caresses so that her doll could come down from her soaring heights of pleasure.

“I believe in them. Rose and Serafa. I know that you do as well. Yes, they required some forceful pushes, but there is no shame in that.” Lightly, she booped Ophelia on the nose with her finger, giggling softly to herself. “It was all for the greater good. And there is no greater good than pushing together two souls who so clearly deserve each other. Perhaps a bit selfish, I will admit. But what of it? Is it a crime to benefit from bringing joy to those we love? Ridiculous…”

Camilis found that she quite enjoyed monologuing to her uncomprehending pet. It was silly, but it did also give her space to work through some things she had been wrestling with. She was not immune to over-thinking or self-doubt. Perhaps it was not as debilitating, compared to what the others dealt with. But she was still mortal, still fallible. And taking the time to admit her uncertainty, even to an audience that couldn’t understand her, was comforting.

Still, she was not a woman prone to wallowing. And Camilis had a beautiful dolly that needed distraction. She was coming to terms with what kind of selfishness was acceptable, and denying Ophelia her joy for the sake of this dramatic diatribe was almost certainly the wrong kind to indulge.

So Camilis let herself get lost in the delightful dance of teasing and relenting, again and again, until all sense of time faded away.

It must have been nearly half a dozen rounds later, drawing out Ophelia’s joy before letting her drop into momentary serenity, when Camilis was pulled back to reality by the sound of the hab’s front door. If the affini had any respiratory systems to speak of, she would have been holding her breath.

Though it was faint, she could hear the sound of her dear companion talking, though she could not make out the words. The chatter drew closer as the two of them passed by her bedroom door on the way to Serafa’s room. Unable to help herself, she focused all her attention on them, able to pick out only two words.

Luckily, they were the only two words that mattered. Rose’s voice, soft and bashful, but filled with warmth.

“Yes, Miss…”

---

Oh stars. Oh frost.

Serafa could hardly believe her luck. She had merely followed Rose out to the bar in order to talk to her more, to address some difficult topics and keep the woman from sinking too much into a depressed state. For a time, she was worried that perhaps Rose was too angry about the things she had learned to really be reached.

But just like that, she suddenly had the adorable terran in her lap, saying such wonderful things, suggesting something she almost couldn’t believe. Rose wanted to try being her floret, if only for a night. No matter how temporary, there was no way that she was going to let this opportunity slip from her grasp.

And now they were making the walk back home with one of her vines looped around Rose’s neck in a makeshift leash. Neither of them said much, the tension far too thick to allow for something like idle chatter. Which was just as well — Sera still needed to decide exactly what it was she would do with this rare opportunity.

Judging by what Rose had said back in the bar, she didn’t have any interest in something too extreme. Or at least not yet, said the silly hopeful voice inside. So she would have to play this by… nose? No, ear! Play it by ear! Obviously she would take Rose up to her room where—

Oh dirt.

Sera pulled up a mental image of her bedroom back at the hab and experienced a miniature crisis. She was almost certain that she had let the place fall into disarray. How was she supposed to create the right mood when she didn’t even have the proper setting to finally explore things with Rose?

Whether it was body language or those amazing, damned biorhythms, her little human must have sensed that something was amiss. Rose looked up at her with her head tilted slightly. “Is… everything alright, Se— Um, Miss?”

“I want tonight to be a special occasion, little one,” Sera said to her softly, not wishing to fully let on how nervous she was beginning to feel. “And I’m realizing that my room might be messier than I’d prefer…”

“You couldn’t have known I’d spring this idea on you. Honestly, I didn’t even know I’d be doing that.” Rose laughed nervously and looked up at her with a warm smile. “So what if it’s not perfect?”

Sera momentarily fought to hold back the shiver threatening to break out across her body. But she realized it was ridiculous to try and hide her excitement. So she allowed it to happen — vines, leaves, and flowers trembling in waves up and down her entire form. She offered a high, happy tremolo and delivered several pets to Rose’s head. “What did I do to deserve such a darling girl in my life?”

“I suppose I’ve been wondering the same thing…” she muttered bashfully, nuzzling into the massive hand.

Sera used the vine leash to pull Rose in close. Instincts that had laid dormant for far too long were finally emerging. In one swift, solid motion, she lifted Rose up and into her arms, cradling the woman and holding her close. “Who can say? Maybe there’s no reason at all. Maybe we’re just lucky. The important thing is that we enjoy ourselves.”

She watched with delight as Rose nervously fiddled with the vine at her neck, nodding, blushing. She looked so precious. “Mn, I-I think you’re right.”

“Ahh, I’m so glad you agree! Let’s get to it then.”

Some of the initial tension had finally faded away and the two of them finally lapsed into easy, comfortable conversation as they finished crossing into the neighborhood and back to their home.

Sera stepped through the front door of the hab and up the stairs, finally stopping in the hallway just outside her bedroom door. She set Rose down to her feet and then knelt down, putting on her most charming smile. “I know you said things don’t have to be perfect. But we’ve both been around Ophie long enough to accept that a little… theatricality is important. I still want to make sure everything is in order before we begin. Stay right here while I get my room sorted. Can you do that for me, darling?”

Whether it was their connection, Rose’s attempts at submission, or perhaps just a bit of lingering military discipline, she stood more at attention and nodded firmly. “Yes, Miss…”

Ahhh, stars, that was so wonderful to hear. Sera stood back up and removed her vine from Rose’s neck. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought she noticed a hint of disappointment in the woman’s expression as she turned and walked into her room. The moment the door was closed, Sera assessed the space.

It wasn’t… quite as bad as she had feared, but she was still glad that she decided to deal with this first. One of the wall hangings she’d picked up during her time as a researcher in lumari space was slightly crooked. A few of her books were piled up on the floor next to the shelf. The bed was rather disheveled and unmade. To an objective observer, the space was probably in a perfectly serviceable condition. But as far as she was concerned, this simply wouldn’t do. She sent vines to every single corner of the room — straightening, organizing, cleaning.

She quickly got things into a more acceptable state. There wasn’t much else that could be done without ruining this opportunity. No way was she going to let Rose stand out there in the hallway for one second longer than she had to. Sera tapped the nearby control panel, dimming the lights before opening the door. “Come along, darling.” A second later, that adorable little face poked around the corner looking nervous and excited. At least, on that, they were in perfect sync.

“I just realized, I’ve… never actually seen your room before, Miss…” It seemed as though the novelty might threaten to distract Rose, so Sera quickly reached down to cup her chin and guide the little terran to look right back at her.

“There will be plenty of time to give you the grand tour later, sweetie. I can regale you with all kinds of stories about my travels. But right now…” Keeping a firm grip, Sera started moving slowly backwards until she was able to set herself down on the massive pile of pillows that formed her reading nook. With swift movements, she pushed a smaller pillow forward in front of Rose before guiding her to kneel on it. “…right now, I just want to focus on the two of us. After all, if we share this connection, then I think we really ought to make use of it, no?”

“Er, how so?”

Sera guided Rose a bit more until they were looking directly into each other’s eyes. “Always one more experiment, eh? Just take a moment, breathe nice and deep for me, and look into my eyes, little one.”

Doing as commanded, she drew in a deep breath through her nose and stared right up into Sera’s eyes.

While this process already happened naturally, an affini could manipulate their eyes more purposefully. Sera focused, and her eyes practically glowed, shimmering and dancing with kaleidoscopic wonder. Rose’s face turned beautifully vacant as she became lost in those eyes, her jaw going slack.

Yes, it was most definitely there. An invisible thread tying the two of them together. Rose was entranced, her mind ensnared. While Sera held her attention, she quietly snaked a vine to make its way across the room as a panel on the wall opened. From within, she took hold of a dress she had the foresight to obtain. At the time, it had been a simple flight of fancy, an optimistic acquisition. Now she was quite grateful to her past self for indulging in that fantasy.

As gently as she could, she pulled the companion dress from its hanger and drew it over, laying it in Rose’s lap. It was a gorgeous opalescent garment, as colorful as her own eyes and flowers, with a bright white ribbon that cinched the waist, ending in a large teal bow along the back. “I have a special gift for you dear. I know that you generally prefer the kind of thing you’re wearing now, and I fully understand the appeal. But if we are to play our roles tonight, then I think it’s important that you dress the part, no? Go ahead, put it on.”

Normally, this request might have been met with embarrassment or even distress. But in her current state, Rose offered up far less resistance. There was still a bit of flustered awkwardness, but other than that, she obediently pushed up from her pillow and began unlacing her boots, pulling each one off. Standing up to her full height, Rose started removing her jacket and pants, hands trembling almost imperceptibly. Every once in a while, she would have to break eye contact to look down, or while removing her shirt. But each time, her eyes would snap right back to attention. Once she was down to just her underwear, Rose cleared her throat softly and fiddled with the shimmering dress. “Um, I’m… not quite used to wearing this kind of thing. Would you help me with it, Miss?”

Cooing, Sera carefully took the dress from her and held it out. “Arms up then, darling.” Once Rose was in position, Sera gently slid it over her head and down into place. She took her time making sure it hung properly on her body, sliding the zipper up with cruel slowness while a few spare vines tugged everything into place. Even with her body still changing, there were already some curves for the dress to hug, and its colors shifted subtly in the dim lighting. “Ohh, stars, you look magnificent… Do you remember when I had you try on that skirt?” Sera slid a vine into Rose’s hand and grinned, lifting it high. “Spin.”

There was only a moment of hesitation before Rose did as she was commanded and twirled, sending the skirts billowing up slightly. And like the last time, she broke out in a soft giggle, spinning a few more times before coming to an awkward stop. “Mn, you like it? I-It looks okay?” Just judging by her stance, it was obvious Rose was still uncertain about all this. And that simply wouldn’t do.

Rather than guide her back to kneeling on the pillow, Sera effortlessly lifted the terran up and into her lap, wrapping around her possessively and squeezing her affectionately. “I love it. And… I love you, Rose.” She leaned down and nuzzled into her, causing the woman to squirm and fidget before eventually relenting and returning the nuzzling bashfully.

To Sera’s surprise, there were a few tears in the corners of Rose’s eyes. There was a momentary bout of guilt and fear, wondering if she had pushed her too far. But she forced herself to remain calm and recall that terrans could cry for quite a few reasons, many of them positive. That thought was swiftly followed by the distressing realization that Rose probably hadn’t heard the words ‘I love you’ too many times in her life.

She ran a few fingers through the woman’s hair and carefully wiped away the small tears. “It’s alright, cutie. You don’t have to say—”

“I-I love you too, Sera. Miss. Miss Sera?” She laughed nervously and wriggled a bit more. “Stars, still getting used to that.”

“In your defense, I haven’t been the most domineering presence in your life. But that’s why we’re trying this now.” She let out a high giggle before continuing to pet Rose some more. “You’ve told me there are things that you aren’t interested in. I think it might be more helpful to focus on what you would like to try.” Just to be sure Rose was kept in that delightful submissive state, Sera once again gripped her chin and forced their eyes to meet.

“Well… s-safe to say I like being called… a good girl…”

That stood to reason. Again, emphatic support and encouragement was in short supply throughout Rose’s old life. Sera was dedicated to changing that. Plus it was an easy source of gender euphoria. “Ah, that’s an easy one! After all, you’re a very good girl.”

Her blush grew even brighter as she gnawed on her lower lip. “And all the physical affection… I know you all like that I’m tall and muscular, but it’s also… really nice to be held, and feel… small and protected. Is that strange?”

“Not in the slightest! You terrans are complex little creatures! It’s half the reason we like you so much.” Sera was quick to dispense more pets and hugs, both as a reward and to help affirm Rose’s honesty. Still… this was all rather surface-level. And perhaps that was all that Rose craved. If the girl was destined to be a simple lap-floret, then that would be just fine. But Sera was certain there was more hiding in that beautiful brain. Holding Rose’s gaze, she set the colorful specks in her eyes swirling, encouraging her to dig deep and open up about her desires, her needs. “What else, little one?”

After a bit more fidgeting, Rose’s lips began to move again. But she was speaking so quietly, it was difficult to make out the mumbled words. “I’m sorry dear, I didn’t quite get that.”

“W-Well, it’s just that… I know I said most of what Ophie and Cam do aren’t necessarily appealing to me. But I have to admit I do feel a little… j-jealous when I see her getting wrapped up in vines.” She cleared her throat and started to look away, but a single finger beneath the chin was enough to stop that from happening. No way was Sera going to let her get out of this one. “Before all this, in my old life, helplessness meant danger… o-or worse. But Ophelia always looks so strangely peaceful when she’s restrained. I want to know why. And I… trust you.”

“You trust me to not hurt you,” she affirmed gently.

Something strange crossed her face, and Rose’s brow furrowed ever so slightly. “I-I trust you to not endanger me,” she eventually said — a correction so specific that Sera couldn’t help but investigate.

“Ah. You trust that if I were to hurt you, then perhaps it might be in an enjoyable way?” She might almost have felt bad about laying it on quite that thick, making the logical leap before Rose had a chance to say it. Almost. But the dazed look she got in return, the warm smile, the burning cheeks… They all spoke volumes. Still, if that was the direction this conversation would go, then she would need more than subtle cues. “If so, there would be absolutely nothing wrong with it. But I’ll need you to say so. Out loud, darling.”

Rose was silent for a few heavy seconds, and Sera momentarily feared that perhaps she had pushed her luck and broken the spell. Had her presumptuousness been too much, too fast?

She opened her mouth, closed it again, then parted her lips one more time, releasing a shaking sigh. “I-I was a soldier, Miss. And while a lot of it was pretty awful… I still remember feeling so fulfilled during combat training. Getting hurt, bruised, even scarred… it did have a way of making me feel more alive. Perhaps there is a part of me that wants to be hurt again. Am I…? Does that all… make sense?”

She left plenty of space for Rose to speak her mind. They were getting into more tricky territory here, but Serafa was willing to make that journey together. “It does, darling. But I want to be very clear here. Activity like that could be cathartic, or it could become quite triggering. We’ll need to explore any masochistic streak you might have very carefully. Lucky for us, Camilis is perfectly equipped to help.” She chuckled softly and drew a vine along Rose’s cheek. “With both aspects, I’d be willing to bet. Her thorns are sharper than mine, if you catch my meaning.”

A very pleasant shiver passed through Rose and she nodded her head with a wide smile, joining her in soft laughter. “I can’t say I’m surprised. But um…” She wiggled her shoulders a bit. “I would still prefer to start with… with you. It’s not that I don’t trust Cam, but I-I trust you more. Is that awful to say?”

“Not in the slightest. Our situation is a tad complicated, and I don’t think either she or Ophelia would begrudge us for playing favorites. After all, you aren’t upset with the connection they share, right? It’ll just take some time for the four of us to figure out the roles we play in one another’s lives. There’s no shame in that. We’ve got all the time in the world.” This conversation was helping Sera feel significantly more confident, and she suggestively pulled up a needle that extended out from the inside of her wrist. “Still, that doesn’t mean we should delay any longer. I believe I have more than enough to get the wheel rolling.”

Rose grinned, eyes glinting with excitement. “Get the ball rolling, Miss. And I agree.”

“Good girl, so helpful,” Sera cooed as she lightly punctured Rose’s neck and injected her with the xenodrug cocktail she’d been working on as they spoke. It was important to discuss needs and wants, but eventually you had to follow through. And she was beyond ready to indulge, for both their sakes.